Latest news with #Petkov
The Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Bulgaria cyber 'elves' fight Kremlin and cruelty
Petkov, a Bulgarian software developer and system architect, poses for a portrait in Kyiv. He is the only public face of the 'BG Elves', a Bulgarian group of around 70 anonymous cyber security experts, which gained prominence for revealing Russian interference in the country, including via disinformation campaigns. Most recently, the group helped an animal rights NGO uncover evidence that led to the arrest of a woman and a man accused of brutally torturing hundreds of animals to death and selling videos of it online. — AFP SOFIA, Bulgaria: A Bulgarian group of dozens of cyber activists at first clubbed together to battle Russian disinformation, but they have since found other foes – like animal abusers. They call themselves the BG Elves, which both refers to the kind-hearted characters of Scandinavian mythology and hints at a rivalry with the Internet's malicious trolls. The collective of about 70 anonymous cyber security experts have made a name for themselves by creating problems for their adversaries. One of their latest efforts was helping an animal rights NGO uncover evidence that led to the March arrest of a woman and a man accused of selling videos online of hundreds of animals being tortured to death. "Our work was crucial, because for the first time a crime was solved in Bulgaria based on OSINT data, proving that our efforts can produce concrete results," software developer Petko Petkov, the Elves' only public face, told AFP. OSINT refers to open-source intelligence, which is information gathered with digital investigation techniques like reverse image search and geolocation. In the summer of 2024, the NGO alerted the cyber sleuths to videos posted on Telegram of a masked woman torturing animals. The Elves tracked her down within hours. Using OSINT, they were also able to trace the locations where the videos of cats, rabbits and guinea pigs being tortured on camera were filmed by her accomplice. The videos sparked widespread protests in Bulgaria, and prompted the government to propose emergency legislation. 'Counter-propaganda' Set up in 2023 in response to pro-Kremlin disinformation flooding Bulgaria, the group first zeroed in on the key players involved in the campaigns. "There were about 10 of us in a chat group, we refined the concept, then put out a call for volunteers," Petkov told AFP about the group's founding. They have grown significantly since and include experts in cyber security, social engineering and databases. "We are not hackers, we are researchers," said Petkov, 37, who moved from central Bulgaria to Kyiv shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Dedicated to activism, the Elves try to fight the deluge of disinformation by disseminating "counter-propaganda that makes people think", he said. "We noticed that a (disinfo) narrative... takes some time to reach people. Our idea was to flood the space with humour and irony before the propaganda takes hold," said Petkov. Recently, they launched a viral meme campaign targeting the main false claims about Bulgaria's accession to the eurozone, distributing the content through profiles embedded within major disinformation networks. In March, BG Elves supported a Romanian journalist in an investigation that exposed a Russia-linked disinformation and propaganda network funded through online advertising. 'More serious' cases In the wake of the recent arrests, Bulgaria proposed a bill in parliament, which allows for higher prison terms of up to 10 years for torturing animals. Nearly 300 people have been convicted of such offences in the last five years, but few end up in prison. Petya Altimirska, president of the animal welfare association CAAI, who had reached out to the Elves for help in the abuse case, has since received numerous reports of "even more serious" cases, adding that the cyber sleuths are already "on it". While the group was praised for exposing the animal abuse, it has also faced criticism and numerous threats for its provocative approach and alleged political bias. – AFP
Kuwait Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Bulgaria cyber ‘elves' fight Kremlin, cruelty
SOFIA: A Bulgarian group of dozens of cyber activists at first clubbed together to battle Russian disinformation, but they have since found other foes - like animal abusers. They call themselves the BG Elves, which both refers to the kind-hearted characters of Scandinavian mythology and hints at a rivalry with the internet's malicious trolls. The collective of about 70 anonymous cyber security experts have made a name for themselves by creating problems for their adversaries. One of their latest efforts was helping an animal rights NGO uncover evidence that led to the March arrest of a woman and a man accused of selling videos online of hundreds of animals being tortured to death. 'Our work was crucial, because for the first time a crime was solved in Bulgaria based on OSINT data, proving that our efforts can produce concrete results,' software developer Petko Petkov, the Elves' only public face, told AFP. OSINT refers to open-source intelligence, which is information gathered with digital investigation techniques like reverse image search and geolocation. In the summer of 2024, the NGO alerted the cyber sleuths to videos posted on Telegram of a masked woman torturing animals. The Elves tracked her down within hours. Using OSINT, they were also able to trace the locations where the videos of cats, rabbits and guinea pigs being tortured on camera were filmed by her accomplice. The videos sparked widespread protests in Bulgaria, and prompted the government to propose emergency legislation. 'Counter-propaganda' Set up in 2023 in response to pro-Kremlin disinformation flooding Bulgaria, the group first zeroed in on the key players involved in the campaigns. 'There were about 10 of us in a chat group, we refined the concept, then put out a call for volunteers,' Petkov told AFP about the group's founding. They have grown significantly since and include experts in cyber security, social engineering and databases. 'We are not hackers, we are researchers,' said Petkov, 37, who moved from central Bulgaria to Kyiv shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Dedicated to activism, the Elves try to fight the deluge of disinformation by disseminating 'counter-propaganda that makes people think', he said. 'We noticed that a (disinfo) narrative... takes some time to reach people. Our idea was to flood the space with humor and irony before the propaganda takes hold,' said Petkov. Recently, they launched a viral meme campaign targeting the main false claims about Bulgaria's accession to the euro-zone, distributing the content through profiles embedded within major disinformation networks. In March, BG Elves supported a Romanian journalist in an investigation that exposed a Russia-linked disinformation and propaganda network funded through online advertising. 'More serious' cases In the wake of the recent arrests, Bulgaria proposed a bill in parliament, which allows for higher prison terms of up to 10 years for torturing animals. Nearly 300 people have been convicted of such offences in the last five years, but few end up in prison. Petya Altimirska, president of the animal welfare association CAAI, who had reached out to the Elves for help in the abuse case, has since received numerous reports of 'even more serious' cases, adding that the cyber sleuths are already 'on it'. While the group was praised for exposing the animal abuse, it has also faced criticism and numerous threats for its provocative approach and alleged political bias. — AFP
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Bulgaria cyber 'elves' fight Kremlin and cruelty
Representative AI image SOFIA: A Bulgarian group of dozens of cyber activists at first clubbed together to battle Russian disinformation, but they have since found other foes like animal abusers. They call themselves the BG Elves, which both refers to the kind-hearted characters of Scandinavian mythology and hints at a rivalry with the internet's malicious trolls. The collective of about 70 anonymous cyber security experts have made a name for themselves by creating problems for their adversaries. One of their latest efforts was helping an animal rights NGO uncover evidence that led to the March arrest of a woman and a man accused of selling videos online of hundreds of animals being tortured to death. "Our work was crucial, because for the first time a crime was solved in Bulgaria based on OSINT data, proving that our efforts can produce concrete results," software developer Petko Petkov, the Elves' only public face. OSINT refers to open-source intelligence, which is information gathered with digital investigation techniques like reverse image search and geolocation. In the summer of 2024, the NGO alerted the cyber sleuths to videos posted on Telegram of a masked woman torturing animals. The Elves tracked her down within hours. Using OSINT, they were also able to trace the locations where the videos of cats, rabbits and guinea pigs being tortured on camera were filmed by her accomplice. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esta nueva alarma con cámara es casi regalada en Santa Lucia (ver precio) Verisure Undo The videos sparked widespread protests in Bulgaria, and prompted the government to propose emergency legislation. Set up in 2023 in response to pro-Kremlin disinformation flooding Bulgaria, the group first zeroed in on the key players involved in the campaigns. "There were about 10 of us in a chat group, we refined the concept, then put out a call for volunteers," Petkov says about the group's founding. They have grown significantly since and include experts in cyber security, social engineering and databases. "We are not hackers, we are researchers," said Petkov, 37, who moved from central Bulgaria to Kyiv shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Dedicated to activism, the Elves try to fight the deluge of disinformation by disseminating "counter-propaganda that makes people think", he said. "We noticed that a (disinfo) narrative... takes some time to reach people. Our idea was to flood the space with humour and irony before the propaganda takes hold," said Petkov. Recently, they launched a viral meme campaign targeting the main false claims about Bulgaria's accession to the eurozone, distributing the content through profiles embedded within major disinformation networks. In March, BG Elves supported a Romanian journalist in an investigation that exposed a Russia-linked disinformation and propaganda network funded through online advertising. In the wake of the recent arrests, Bulgaria proposed a bill in parliament, which allows for higher prison terms of up to 10 years for torturing animals. Nearly 300 people have been convicted of such offences in the last five years, but few end up in prison. Petya Altimirska, president of the animal welfare association CAAI, who had reached out to the Elves for help in the abuse case, has since received numerous reports of "even more serious" cases, adding that the cyber sleuths are already "on it". While the group was praised for exposing the animal abuse, it has also faced criticism and numerous threats for its provocative approach and alleged political bias.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Bulgaria cyber ‘elves' fight Kremlin and cruelty
SOFIA, BULGARIA: A Bulgarian group of dozens of cyber activists at first clubbed together to battle Russian disinformation, but they have since found other foes -- like animal abusers. They call themselves the BG Elves, which both refers to the kind-hearted characters of Scandinavian mythology and hints at a rivalry with the internet's malicious trolls. The collective of about 70 anonymous cyber security experts have made a name for themselves by creating problems for their adversaries. One of their latest efforts was helping an animal rights NGO uncover evidence that led to the March arrest of a woman and a man accused of selling videos online of hundreds of animals being tortured to death. 'Our work was crucial, because for the first time a crime was solved in Bulgaria based on OSINT data, proving that our efforts can produce concrete results,' software developer Petko Petkov, the Elves' only public face, told AFP. OSINT refers to open-source intelligence, which is information gathered with digital investigation techniques like reverse image search and geolocation. In the summer of 2024, the NGO alerted the cyber sleuths to videos posted on Telegram of a masked woman torturing animals. The Elves tracked her down within hours. Using OSINT, they were also able to trace the locations where the videos of cats, rabbits and guinea pigs being tortured on camera were filmed by her accomplice. The videos sparked widespread protests in Bulgaria, and prompted the government to propose emergency legislation. - 'Counter-propaganda' - Set up in 2023 in response to pro-Kremlin disinformation flooding Bulgaria, the group first zeroed in on the key players involved in the campaigns. 'There were about 10 of us in a chat group, we refined the concept, then put out a call for volunteers,' Petkov told AFP about the group's founding. They have grown significantly since and include experts in cyber security, social engineering and databases. 'We are not hackers, we are researchers,' said Petkov, 37, who moved from central Bulgaria to Kyiv shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Dedicated to activism, the Elves try to fight the deluge of disinformation by disseminating 'counter-propaganda that makes people think', he said. 'We noticed that a (disinfo) narrative... takes some time to reach people. Our idea was to flood the space with humour and irony before the propaganda takes hold,' said Petkov. Recently, they launched a viral meme campaign targeting the main false claims about Bulgaria's accession to the eurozone, distributing the content through profiles embedded within major disinformation networks. In March, BG Elves supported a Romanian journalist in an investigation that exposed a Russia-linked disinformation and propaganda network funded through online advertising. - 'More serious' cases - In the wake of the recent arrests, Bulgaria proposed a bill in parliament, which allows for higher prison terms of up to 10 years for torturing animals. Nearly 300 people have been convicted of such offences in the last five years, but few end up in prison. Petya Altimirska, president of the animal welfare association CAAI, who had reached out to the Elves for help in the abuse case, has since received numerous reports of 'even more serious' cases, adding that the cyber sleuths are already 'on it'. While the group was praised for exposing the animal abuse, it has also faced criticism and numerous threats for its provocative approach and alleged political bias.
Sunday World
06-05-2025
- Sunday World
Man who helped Brazilian cartel smuggle huge €21.6m cocaine shipment into Ireland jailed
LOCKED UP | Nikola Penchev (34) of Veliki, Preslav, Bulgaria, pleaded guilty at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court Nikola Penchev Nikola Penchev (34) of Veliki, Preslav, Bulgaria, pleaded guilty at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court to possessing cocaine worth over €21.6million, for sale or supply, at Foynes Port, Co Limerick, on December 19, 2023. Penchev, a maritime engineer, was arrested after Revenue Customs officials and Gardai, acting on a tip-off that the drugs were on board the ship, the MV Verila, searched the vessel and found the cocaine haul tied together in several bales attached to a transmitter. The ship initially set sail from Hamilton, Canada, to Santos Brazil, before reverting to Hamilton and eventually onto Foynes in County Limerick. The Maltese vessel MV Verila Penchev, who joined the ship on its second voyage out of Hamilton had initially been unaware it was carrying cocaine. While on route to Foynes Port, Penchev was recruited by another of the ship's crew, his friend and fellow Bulgarian national, Kamen Petkov (37) to help him dump the cocaine in parcels at Glin, a few kilometers out from Foynes. Detective Garda Adrian Cahill, Limerick Garda Divisional Drugs Unit, gave evidence in court that unidentified parties used small boats to ferry the cocaine bales to Petkov at Santos Port while the rest of the ship's crew were asleep. Petkov, who was previously jailed for ten years after he also pleaded guilty to having the cocaine haul for sale or supply, was responsible for loading the drugs on board, tying the drug parcels together with life jackets and attaching a transmitter, and he kept in regular contact with the cartel via a satellite phone and a navigation app 'OsmAnd'. Petkov and Penchev ended up not dumping the drugs overboard at Glin as nobody appeared to be there to collect the packages when the ship arrived at the drop-off point. Drug detector dog Harley guards the 300kg illegal cocaine haul seized off a cargo ship at the Port of Foynes in Co Limerick (Pic: @gardainfo) Gardaí said Petkov told them that he was to be paid €150,000 for helping the gang, but he ended up not receiving any payment. Penchev told gardaí Petkov told him he would pay him €10,000 for helping him, but he too did not receive any of the money. Prosecuting barrister Lily Buckley BL said Petkov told Penchev that if they lost the drugs, their lives would be under threat from 'dangerous people'. Kamen Petkov Penchev, who is married with two children, told gardai he only helped Petkov because he was 'afraid' of what the consequences would be for him and his family had he not helped. During the sailing, Penchev and Petkov took photos of the drug bales and sent the mobile phone snaps to the gang to prove the drugs were still on board the ship. Penchev's barrister told the court that he was not the instigator, that he was remorseful, and that he was a good, loving father and husband. Judge Daly said: 'Cocaine is a very serious and highly addictive drug, and the accused allowed himself to become involved in the international carrying of a serious amount of drugs.' The judge said he was satisfied that a headline prison sentence of 13 years was 'appropriate… this being a high-level commercial drug dealing operation'. Nikola Penchev News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, May 6th Judge Daly said Penchev's 'early guilty plea', and his 'cooperation' with the garda investigation allowed it 'to proceed with greater speed and efficiency' However the judge said that, because Penchev involved himself in 'trafficking such a large volume of drugs half way around the world, the principle of deterrence generally, prevents me considering sentencing below the presumptive minimum in the case, and so I reduce the sentence to one of ten years'. The sentence was backdated to December 24, 2023, when Penchev first entered into custody following his arrest. The court heard the garda investigation into the cocaine seizure remains 'ongoing'.
