English
The investigation so far into the flight of Iva Mihajlova from Kocani to Bulgaria has revealed that there is no record of her entering or leaving the country at Macedonian border crossings, nor has she been captured by security cameras within the country, stated Minister of Interior Pance Toskovski in an interview with Sitel TV.
He noted that initial information received from the Bulgarian Border Police also indicates no record of Mihajlova entering or leaving Bulgaria during 2026. According to Toskovski, none of the cameras or security systems operated by Macedonian institutions recorded her movements during the critical timeframe—from the evening she was spotted at a venue in Kočani until she appeared in Bulgarian media. Mihajlova is charged in a traffic accident in which a person died, but she used her Bulgarian citizenship to turn her trial into a political case and eventually fled to Bulgaria through unknown means.
“The investigation to date has confirmed that not only is she absent from Macedonian entry and exit records for 2026, but the Bulgarian Border Police have also initially confirmed that there is no record of her entering or leaving Bulgaria this year. She has not been detected by any of our cameras or security systems,” said Toskovski. Addressing the speculation and information circulating in the public sphere regarding the alleged involvement of police officers in her departure, Toskovski stated that current findings do not point to any such thing.
“During that critical timeframe, neither this individual nor the other person was captured by any of the cameras. Let alone the idea of police officers greeting her, praising her, or speaking about how significant she is to the world—a narrative being pushed through the propaganda that is, unfortunately, spreading,” the Minister declared.
Toshkovski noted that the core issue concerns the manner in which Mihajlova left the country, pointing out that, based on current information, she did not legally cross the state border via an official border crossing point.
Regarding the potential liability of police officers stationed at border crossings or at the Kocani Police Station, the Minister stated that, based on the information currently available and the investigation conducted so far, no fault on their part has been established.