CRIME BY REGION
World archive / Bulgaria / Alexey Petrov
Unsolved / partial

The Murder of Alexey Petrov

On August 16, 2023, businessman and former security adviser Alexey Petrov was shot dead while walking in Sofia's Dragalevtsi area. A woman accompanying him was wounded and survived. Authorities opened a major pre-trial investigation, but no publicly identified suspect or arrest had emerged in the reliable reporting reviewed for this dossier through September 2025.

Editorial Bulgaria artwork for the Alexey Petrov murder case

Editorial country artwork only; it does not depict Petrov, the surviving witness or the crime scene.

DateAugust 16, 2023
LocationDragalevtsi, Sofia, Bulgaria
VictimAlexey Petrov, 61
Current statusNo publicly identified killer in reliable sources reviewed
Status note: This case is classified as Unsolved / Partial. Police and prosecutors investigated the killing, but the archive found no reliable public record of a charged or convicted killer through the latest high-quality status reporting reviewed. Motives discussed publicly remain investigative theories, not findings of guilt.

The Dragalevtsi shooting

According to Bulgaria's Interior Ministry, Petrov was shot around midday on August 16, 2023 in Sofia's Dragalevtsi area. BTA and Associated Press reporting said a 48-year-old woman who was with him was also shot and taken to hospital. Petrov died at the scene.

The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office immediately opened pre-trial proceedings. Investigators questioned bodyguards and formed a special task force with Interior Ministry personnel. Those investigative steps establish the seriousness of the response; they do not identify a perpetrator.

A high-profile and complicated public figure

Petrov had worked in state security and later built a wide business portfolio. He also served as an adviser to Bulgaria's State Agency for National Security and ran for president. In 2010 he had been arrested and accused of serious organized-crime offenses in the so-called Octopus case, but he was ultimately acquitted.

That background generated extensive public speculation after his death. Crime by Region does not treat prior allegations, business disputes or political claims as evidence of who ordered or carried out his murder.

Investigation and changing leads

One week after the killing, Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov said no suspect had been identified. In January 2024, the Interior Ministry said investigators were still carrying out procedural and search actions connected to the murder. Authorities publicly discussed checking multiple possible leads rather than announcing a single established motive.

The existence of earlier attempts on Petrov's life also featured prominently in coverage. That history is relevant context, but it does not prove that any earlier incident had the same organizer or motive as the 2023 killing.

Status in later public reporting

Bulgarian reporting marking the first anniversary of the killing said there was still no suspect or arrest. The same article was updated in September 2025 and continued to describe the killer as unidentified. This is the latest sufficiently reliable public status source used for the archive classification.

Because an unsolved investigation can change, this page should be revised if prosecutors announce a charge, a court reaches a judgment or authorities formally close the investigation. Until then, naming individuals based on rumor would violate the archive's evidence standard.

Sources

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