The story of Nikolay Dimov from the Yambol village of Ruzhitsa is more than tragic. It is an alarm about the state of the rule of law in Bulgaria, where honest labour is punished, and crime is tolerated.

The chronicle of a continuing terror: more than a month ago, on April 29, 2025, the agricultural farm of Nikolay Dimov was subjected to an organised and cold-blooded attack. In less than six minutes, an unbelievably short time, which shows a planned and professional action, three combines and three tractors were engulfed in flames and destroyed. This was not a random incident, but an intentional arson aiming at maximum damage. Dimov himself has clear video recordings from the cameras, showing how a perpetrator enters the base and selectively sets the machines on fire. Traces from a vehicle are present near the site. Even then, the media outlet “Svoboden Glas” went to the scene to adequately cover this act of terror and to give publicity to the case. Numerous signals were submitted to all competent institutions. Despite these efforts and the clear evidence, a month later, the terror not only continues but escalates with the brutal destruction of the harvest, while reaction from the law-enforcement authorities is still missing.

The terror does not stop there. Within less than seven days, Nikolay Dimov became a witness to the destruction of nearly 500 decares of crops with wheat and rye, with the damage reaching a shocking 90%. The method used for this devastation is especially cruel and insidious – cows are driven into the fields and chased with a jeep, so that they trample and crush the harvest. This brutal approach not only inflicts enormous material damage but is also a form of psychological harassment, aiming to break the spirit of the farmer. All these systematic assaults, combined with the arson, have led to colossal losses for Nikolay Dimov, which amount to over 10 million leva. This sum is not just a number – it is equal to destroyed years of labour, investments, and hopes for the future of a family and its livelihood.

Nikolay Dimov is not afraid to speak. He directly points to the alleged perpetrators: Ivan Vasilev (father) and Vasil Kiryakov (son) from Burgas, known by the nickname “the Moles.” He has submitted numerous reports against them before, providing concrete evidence of their assaults. Despite the clear clues from the video cameras and the vehicle track, as well as previous testimonies, a month later, there is still no visible result from the investigative authorities. This lack of reaction is the most alarming part of the entire story. It does not simply raise doubts, but categorically proves the presence of a “protective umbrella” over the perpetrators. When in a state with functioning institutions, there is such clear evidence and named perpetrators, and the investigation stalls for months, the only logical explanation is that certain forces are interested in the inaction. This is a situation where laws do not apply to everyone, and justice is a privilege, not a right.

After the first act of terror, the arson, people sympathetic to what happened visited Nikolay Dimov to talk with him and to express their support. The terror, however, continues without any adequate reaction from the law-enforcement authorities. This raises the question – why is the state so powerless or inactive, even when publicity and political attention are directed at the problem? Could this “support” remain only in words, while the real lawlessness continues?