On January 30, the mayor of Ruse reported on the achievements of the first year of his second term. The occasion was marked by Pencho Milkov (BSP) first presenting his lengthy 186-page report to the municipal councilors. This was followed by a sort of marathon through local media, where Milkov gave long interviews in which not a single critical question was posed to him.
On February 1, the website “Anons” published a nearly 50-minute conversation with Milkov. The next day, the Ruse newspaper “Bryag” did the same. Among the “hot topics” discussed in the two interviews were questions such as Milkov’s favorite places in Ruse, the last book he read, how his children are doing, whether he would like to become an ambassador in Romania or Singapore, and more.
On the more pressing issues that have plagued Ruse residents for years, such as air pollution, public transport, buffer parking near the Danube Bridge 1, and the airport near the village of Shtarklevo, the mayor, who has held this position for a second term, did not go into specifics. There was also no one to challenge him to do so.
What Did the Mayor of Ruse Fail to Mention?
During the first term of Pencho Milkov’s administration, two of his decisions regarding the management of public property attracted public attention – the buffer parking lots near the Danube Bridge 1 and Ruse Airport.
Despite Milkov repeatedly stating that these two infrastructure projects were his priorities, there is not a single word about the truck parking lots or the airport in his report, which spans an impressive 186 pages.
In this context, investigations by the newspaper “Capital” and the Anti-Corruption Fund shed light over the past year on suspicions of misuse of public funds, lost benefits for taxpayers, and illegal actions by the private company “Tir Parking Ruse” Ltd., which manages the largest private buffer parking lot near the Danube Bridge 1. In both interviews, Pencho Milkov reiterated that the topic is being used by “certain political forces and citizens for political purposes.”
Journalists from “Capital” and the Anti-Corruption Fund revealed that the company that built one of the two buffer parking lots near the border is linked to financier Emil Hirsev. They also highlighted suspicions of similarities with the “Captain Andreevo” scheme, where connections emerged with the private business network of the group led by Razmig Chakyryan – Ami. He, in turn, is reportedly a trusted associate of businessman Christoforos Amanatidis – Taki, according to media publications.
In the early days following Bulgaria’s entry into Schengen by land, a report by Nova Television revealed that despite the lifting of border controls at the northern and southern borders, “Tir Parking Ruse” Ltd. continued to charge fees from drivers to place them in the so-called virtual queue even though there was no traffic. This virtual queue was established and is administered by “Tir Parking Ruse” Ltd. under an agreement between the company and the municipality of Ruse. The aim is for drivers to receive a waiting number to prevent congestion at the border crossing. However, the virtual queue should not be operational if there is no heavy traffic at the border.
The Airport
Ruse Airport is another topic that was omitted from Pencho Milkov’s report, despite his multiple public statements that the restoration of civil aviation in the Danube city is one of his priorities.
In February 2023, the airport was granted through an expedited vote in the municipal council for gratuitous use for a period of 10 years to a newly established private company. In front of the public, Milkov and the two businessmen who own the company “Airport Ruse” stated that the goal is to restore civil flights to and from Ruse. However, behind the deal, completely different interests are apparent.
In his interview with Anons, Mayor Milkov confirmed the information that there are disagreements between the two partners, with expectations that one of them will soon take full control of “Airport Ruse” Ltd., and consequently, oversee the development of the airport.
“Ruse Airport is our goal, and at the moment, gigantic steps have been taken by the municipality. (…) The downside for us is that there are discrepancies between the two partners. They are currently establishing their relationship. Both assure us that soon the company will continue under one of them, and the General Plan is already being developed; it will be submitted, and we are moving forward with the airport, albeit with a delay of perhaps a few months,” Milkov said in his interview with Anons, adding that “once their relationship is clarified, there will be no stopping us [the municipality of Ruse – ed.].”
So far, there is no information regarding any interest from airline operators to service passenger flights to and from Ruse. The last airline to do so was the Bulgarian company “Gullyvear” a few years ago, but it yielded no real results. Against this backdrop, the two-year period during which “Airport Ruse” Ltd. was supposed to complete 15 steps to gain the right to manage the airport for the entire 10-year duration of the contract is set to expire at the end of the month. It is publicly known that the owners of “Airport Ruse” Ltd. have a business interest in managing the Ruse airport due to their dealings with aircraft for hail-fighting operations.
According to Mayor Pencho Milkov, “Airport Ruse” Ltd. has still not fulfilled two of the most important requirements in the contract – to develop a General Plan for the development of Ruse Airport and to create and coordinate a specialized detailed development plan (PUP) for the territory of Ruse Airport. It remains to be seen whether the municipality will take action to reclaim the facility after the two-year period expires on February 27 of this year, as such a clause is stipulated in the contract between the municipality and the private company.
And a Bit of Misinformation About Air Quality
In his two interviews with “Anons” and the newspaper “Bryag,” Pencho Milkov boasted that Ruse is one of the major cities without elevated levels of fine particulate matter.
“In recent years, Ruse has been one of the major cities where, except for 2022, for which I was penalized (here Milkov clearly omits the reason for his punishment, ed.), from 2020 to 2023 Ruse is a city with no elevated levels of fine particulate matter,” he stated to the Anons website. In response to a question from a journalist in Bryag concerning air quality, as this issue is concerning many residents of Ruse, the mayor said: “Let’s start by saying that according to the Ministry of Environment and Water, Ruse was NOT among the five cities in Bulgaria with polluted air last year. This is what the measuring devices indicate, not that someone in Sofia, in the ministry, hates us and has some kind of conspiracy against the people of Ruse. The devices simply show this.”
“Za Istinata” (“For the Truth”) contacted the press center of the Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) in an attempt to determine if such a ranking exists. They sent a live link to the System for Informing the Public About the Quality of Atmospheric Air. However, through this system, one can check the air quality reported by a single station, but it is not possible to compare the readings from all measuring points in the country.
In a phone call, the press center of the Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) stated that they are not aware of the ministry having prepared a ranking of cities with the cleanest air. Furthermore, a check of the latest publications on the ministry’s website also did not reveal such information.
Daily, the institution publishes a bulletin on the state of air quality in the country. For instance, it shows that on January 30 – one day before Pencho Milkov’s first interview was published – the registered PM10 levels from the station in Ruse were 69.45 µg/m³, exceeding the daily norm of 50 µg/m³. The day before, on January 29, elevated PM10 levels were also reported at 76.32 µg/m³.
Asking Questions is a Privilege
Against the backdrop of Pencho Milkov’s two controlled media appearances, the author of the online project “Ruse Life,” Petko Petkov, wrote on Facebook that he personally invited the mayor of Ruse to participate in his program.
“I did not receive a rejection, but I did not get confirmation either. It’s probably for the best that it didn’t happen, as I wouldn’t have been able to match the level of ‘Anons’, and he probably wouldn’t have toured three places with me,” Petkov wrote on the “Ruse Life” Facebook page.
“For the Truth” sent official questions to the mayor of Ruse, Pencho Milkov, regarding the omitted topics of the buffer parking lots and the local airport in his report for the first year of his second term at the helm of the Ruse Municipality, as well as the basis for his claims regarding air quality. No responses had been received prior to the publication of this text.
