Team
The organizational structure of Factcheck.bg includes a Project Manager, editors, Database Consultant, Social Media Manager and journalists. The journalists conduct the fact checks and write the articles which are edited by the editors. Decisions about which claims to check, how they are checked and how the fact checks are written are made jointly by the journalists and the editors. The Project Manager is responsible for the financial, legal and technical sustainability of the project. She also leads the long-term strategy of Factcheck.bg. The Database Consultant supports the team in their technology- and data-related investigations. The Social Media Manager helps promote published fact checks and the broader mission of Factcheck.bg.
Head of Fact-checking Department at AEJ-Bulgaria
Kristina Hristova
Kristina Hristova is the director of Fact-Checking Department at AEJ-Bulgaria, Member of the Board of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network and the president of the Media Literacy Coalition. Until September 2018, she was the director of the Red House Center for Culture and Debate. Kristina is one of the founders and president of the Association of European Journalists - Bulgaria from November 2010 until September 2016. For many years she was leading the website of the daily Dnevnik, dedicated to European issues – Europe.Dnevnik. For her work as a journalist on European issues, she has been awarded three times by the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria with the Robert Schumann Award, in the category of internet media. She holds a degree in International Relations from Sofia, Political Science and Political Sociology in Paris.
Editors
Vassilena Dotkova
Vassilena Dotkova is a graduate of Sofia University with a degree in English. She has worked in print and online media. As editor at the printed daily Dnevnik and the news website dnevnik.bg she was part of a team covering environmental issues and the green transition. Her other interests include diverse areas such as literature, sociolinguistics, social sciences and international relations. She has translated fiction and philosophical works from English into Bulgarian. She spent years of her life in the UK and Scandinavia and also has a working knowledge of Norwegian, Swedish and Danish.
Ralitsa Ficheva
Ralitsa Ficheva holds a bachelor's degree in Sound Engineering from the Academy of Music in Sofia and a master's degree in International Media Studies from Bonn, Germany. She began her media career as a sound director and music editor at the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR). While pursuing her studies, she joined the Bulgarian editorial team of Deutsche Welle. After returning to Bulgaria in 2021, Ralitsa started covering political topics as a reporter for the website Dnevnik.bg. In 2024 she participated in two months fellowship in USA organized by World Press Institute. Her interests extend beyond politics to include art, human rights, and international relations. As of January 2025, she is a member of the Factcheck.bg team.
Georgi Totev
Georgi Totev is a journalist and documentary filmmaker focusing on conflict, migration, and social processes across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Since 2013, he has reported from Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, and Ukraine, with a particular interest in the long-term consequences of war on societies and political dynamics. He has worked for Bulgarian and international media outlets such as BNT, bTV, Al Jazeera, and ARTE. He is a co-founder of the production collective LENS2LENS, specializing in documentary filmmaking. Georgi’s interests include disinformation, international relations, and human rights. As of May 2026, he is part of the Factcheck.bg team.
Vasil Hadzhiyski
Vasil Hadzhiyski is a journalist with over 10 years of experience. Initially, he was involved in sports journalism, later he wrote about politics and other areas of public life. He has experience as an editor and editor-in-chief both in electronic media - websites and television shows, including Dnevnik.bg and "Lords of the Airwaves", and in newspapers. His goal is to benefit the audience with verified and meaningful information. Since May 2026, he has been part of the Factcheck.bg team.
Ivan Radev
Ivan Radev is a member of the Management Board of the Association of European Journalists-Bulgaria. He has over 10 years of journalistic experience. In the Association, he is responsible for various activities. He coordinates the public positions with which the Association comes out, manages processes and projects. Among the areas of activity in which he works are advocacy, media literacy, providing assistance to journalists, combating strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) and more. Ivan has graduated Balkan Studies at Sofia University and closely follows the development of societies in Southeastern Europe. He speaks Romanian and for five years was a correspondent for Bulgaria of the Romanian National News Agency – Agerpres.
Journalists
Kristiyan Yulzari
Kristiyan Yulzari is an 11th-grade high school student from Rousse. His path in journalism began from the national platform for student journalism sCOOL Media, where he works in various formats - writing, video and podcast. The topics he is most passionate about are social issues and youth policy. His work has appeared in Radio Free Europe, Club Z, OFFNews, Teen Station, others. Kristiyan Yulzari joined the team of Factcheck.bg in November 2021. He holds the Web Report 2020 award and "Valia Krushkina - journalism for people" for his investigation about corruption in the Ministry of youth in sport regarding the funds for youth activities.
Teodora Stanimirova
Teodora Stanimirova is a freelance journalist with experience in online media like "Sega", "Bulgarian Telegraphic Agency" and "Toest". Her interests include human rights, fighting disinformation, photography and social media.
Denis Dzhambazov
Denis Dzhambazov holds a degree in Public Relations from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski.” His professional journey in journalism began in 2012. He works as an editor for international affairs at Fakti.bg. His interests lie in international politics and conflicts, with a strong focus on combating disinformation — a key part of his work.
Lilyana Nikolova
Lilyana Nikolova holds a Bachelor’s degree in Media, Communication and Management from the University of Cologne, Germany and a Master’s degree in Film Studies from the Free University of Berlin. She also completed a Journalism program at VUZF University in Sofia. She has worked for various magazines and online platforms focusing on culture, film and theatre. Her other interests include politics, literature and health. She is proficient in both German and English.
Kristina Mincheva
Kristina Mincheva holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in international security from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski". She has been a parliamentary reporter at OFFNews for three years. Previously, she interned at BNR's Horizont program, UNA NEWS, Uspelite.bg and Nova TV. She is interested in national and international politics, particularly developments in the Middle East. She is also interested in topics related to disinformation, fact-checking, and human rights.
Stefani Zorova
Stefani Zorova holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from New Bulgarian University. She worked at the Bulgarian News Agency in the team responsible for the agency’s presence on social media. As a reporter for Dnevnik, she covered topics related to education and the Sofia Municipality. She is interested in media literacy, debunking disinformation, educational policies.
Elya Izetova
Elya Izetova is a reporter at OFFNews, specializing in international politics with a primary focus on the Balkans and the Middle East. She graduated in Journalism from Sofia University, specializing in Television and International News. Before OFFNews, Elya worked in the international departments of BNT and Bulgaria ON AIR. She was also part of the Turkish-language news team at the national television. She speaks Turkish and English fluently.
Social Media Manager
Gabriela Belichovska
Gabriela Belichovska joined the Factcheck.bg team in April 2024. She brings over seven years of journalistic experience, primarily as an editor covering international news at Manager magazine and the Bulgarian office of Euronews. Later, she took on the role of editor-in-chief at a specialized publication covering the IT sector in Bulgaria. For over two years, she has been covering Bulgaria for The European Correspondent. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from Sofia University, graduating as the valedictorian of her class. Her professional interests are diverse but she puts focus on international relations, technology and human rights.
Database Consultant
Svilen Oprikov
Svilen Oprikov is a graduate in Digital Media/Business Computing at the Canterbury Christ Church University, UK, with a focus on the development of the digital world. He has over 9 years of experience as a data analyst. He worked for one of the largest technology companies on a project responsible for fact-checking the Bulgarian Google Knowledge Graph. He has extensive experience related to verifying facts and information and finding credible sources for verified facts/information.
