Bulgarian Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev has launched surprise leadership changes across regional police directorates, replacing top officials in Vidin and Stara Zagora. Just days saw the replacement of three regional Ministry of Interior directors, according to the newspaper “Segabg”.
Leadership Shake-Up Hits Vidin and Stara Zagora
Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev has initiated surprise personnel adjustments at the highest regional levels of the Ministry of Interior. In Vidin, Senior Commissioner Svetoslav Grigorov took over as the interim director of the regional directorate under an August 3 order. The acting chief secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Chief Commissioner Lyubomir Nikolov, introduced Grigorov to the staff alongside the regional governor.
Grigorov, born in Sofia in 1981 and a graduate of South-West University “Neofit Rilski” in Blagoevgrad, addressed the leadership employees from the Regional Directorate and Regional Administration units following his appointment.
No one is above the state and no one is bigger than the law. This message I want to reach every single employee. We must work responsibly, with dignity and motivated. With these words, the new director addressed the management employees from the Regional Directorate and Regional Administrations. The Directorate must respond to large public expectations and prove that it is an institution deserving of trust, Senior Commissioner Svetoslav Grigorov
The outgoing director, Senior Commissioner Miroslav Milkov, thanked his colleagues for the joint work and once again occupies his titular position as deputy director of the regional police force.
Stara Zagora Directorate Sees Expanded Changes
Parallel shifts took place in Stara Zagora, where Deputy Minister Emil Ganchev and Deputy Minister Ventsislav Katinov introduced Senior Commissioner Dimitar Mashov as the new interim director, appointed by order of Minister Demerdzhiev. Mashov was born on January 5, 1976. He graduated from the Police Academy (VIPOND of the Ministry of Interior) in Simeonovo, as well as the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies in Sofia. He began working in the Ministry of Interior system in 2001 as an operational worker in the 8th Police Station of Sofia, and in 2002 was reassigned to the Crimes related to Motor Vehicles sector under the Sofia Directorate of Interior.
The ministry also appointed Commissioner Asen Yordanov as the temporary deputy director and head of the Criminal Police
department of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in Stara Zagora. From October 2025 until the present moment, he served as the head of the Control of Road Traffic on Main Roads and Motorways group within the “Road Police” sector at the Regional Directorate of Interior in Stara Zagora.
Broader Context of Regional Police Turnover
The current personnel shifts follow a period where almost all 28 regional directors were removed by the tandem of Emil Dechev (caretaker minister) and Georgi Kandev (chief secretary). The full purge was explained at the time by the appointment of people to conduct fair elections, as well as claims that the team needed to be trusted. Hundreds of police operations followed across villages and towns, including entries into populated areas with long guns and drones, concluding with election results. Rumen Radev’s people, including Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev, praised the Ministry of Interior and the regional directors.
Now, however, surprise administrative shuffling is being noticed locally through orders issued by the current interior minister, as commented by “Segabg”. Just a few days prior, acting chief secretary of the Ministry of Interior Lyubomir Nikolov introduced a new director to the leadership staff of the Kyustendil Regional Directorate of Interior: Senior Commissioner Vasil Yozov.
