Bulgarian authorities have detained Russian–Cypriot national Igor Grechushkin, the former operator of the cargo ship MV Rhosus that carried the ammonium nitrate behind the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion.
Grechushkin was stopped on Sept. 5 at Vasil Levski – Sofia Airport on an Interpol red notice issued at Lebanon’s request. A Sofia City Court ruling on Sept. 7 placed him in custody for up to 40 days, a decision later upheld on appeal.
According to court officials, the ruling gives Lebanon 40 days to submit the full extradition file. “He has been placed in detention for a maximum duration of 40 days by a court decision on September 7, confirmed on appeal,” a Sofia City Court spokesperson said. Border Police said at a briefing that the detainee offered no resistance, arrived as a tourist, and had nothing suspicious in his luggage. He was transferred to the National Investigative Service pending extradition proceedings.
Lebanese judicial officials said they are preparing the paperwork to request Grechushkin’s transfer to Beirut for questioning. If extradition is not approved, investigators may travel to Bulgaria to question him there.
The Beirut blast, triggered by the ignition of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at the port, killed at least 218 people and injured more than 6,000, causing extensive damage across the capital. No Lebanese officials have been convicted to date.
Grechushkin has been described in Lebanese documents as the owner of the Moldovan-flagged MV Rhosus, which carried the ammonium nitrate from Georgia en route to Mozambique before being impounded in Beirut in 2013/2014. However, investigative records indicate he operated the vessel via Teto Shipping Ltd. under a bareboat charter, while other entities, including Briarwood Corp. of Panama, were listed as registered owners at different times.
An OCCRP/Der Spiegel inquiry pointed to Cypriot shipowner Charalambos Manoli’s links to the vessel’s corporate chain.
Separately, a UK High Court ruling in 2023 held London-registered Savaro Ltd. liable to Beirut blast victims. Savaro has been described in court and media filings as connected to the procurement of the ammonium nitrate stored in Beirut’s port.
Under Bulgarian law, the 40-day detention period began with the Sept. 7 ruling. Lebanon must submit the formal extradition request with supporting documents and translations within that time frame. Sofia’s courts will then decide on extradition on legal grounds.