Bulgarian authorities have released Igor Grechushkin, the owner of the ship “Rhosus” linked to the 2020 Beirut port explosion, according to Russian news agency Novosti, citing his lawyer, Yekaterina Dimitrova.
Grechushkin, who holds both Russian and Cypriot citizenship, was arrested in September last year at Sofia airport under an Interpol arrest warrant upon arriving from Cyprus. He is 48 years old.
The case is significant because the “Rhosus” ship was carrying a cargo of ammonium nitrate that was stored at the Port of Beirut before it exploded on August 4, 2020, killing over 200 people and causing extensive damage.
In December, the Bulgarian judiciary rejected Lebanon’s request for his extradition due to the lack of guarantees that a death sentence would not be carried out. The Bulgarian prosecution appealed the decision, which was upheld by the Court of Appeal on January 22, 2026, according to Dimitrova.
The lawyer explained that “the Bulgarian court’s decision is final, and Grechushkin was released immediately after it was issued, following a deterioration in his health, which required hospitalization until the case was resolved.”
She emphasized that the refusal to extradite does not cancel the Interpol “Red Notice” and does not prevent Lebanon from pursuing his detention through countries that have mutual legal assistance treaties with Lebanon. However, she noted that Lebanon does not have such an agreement with Cyprus, where Grechushkin currently resides.
Dimitrova stressed that Grechushkin has not been acquitted of the charges, clarifying that the Bulgarian court only refused extradition due to insufficient guarantees that the death penalty would not be applied, despite Lebanon having filed more than 25 charges against him.
