North Macedonia’s ruling VMRO-DPMNE party has accused Bulgarian-linked media networks of conducting a coordinated disinformation campaign aimed at destabilizing the country, discrediting the government, and undermining Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.
“We have well-founded suspicions, supported by accurate information and facts, that a targeted operation of discreditation is currently underway against the Republic of Macedonia, the government led by VMRO-DPMNE, and Prime Minister Mickoski personally,” VMRO-DPMNE lawmaker Mile Lefkov told reporters on Saturday.
According to Lefkov, the operation uses “classic hybrid warfare tactics,” including the spread of false information, fabricated scandals and documents, personal and family-level smears, as well as exploitation of human tragedies and economic insinuations.
Lefkov claimed the campaign intensifies whenever Bulgarian diplomacy suffers setbacks in European institutions. He accused a network of Bulgarian media portals—among them Tribune.bg, Lupa.bg, Epicenter.bg, and Pogled.info—of being behind the effort, along with hundreds of so-called “mushroom” websites. He alleged that these platforms are backed by elements of Bulgarian intelligence services and circles close to nationalist political parties.
Citing international sources, Lefkov referred to a report by the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), which had previously exposed a coordinated network of Bulgaria-based portals and subdomains spreading anti-Western and anti-Macedonian narratives. These networks, he said, also use synchronized Facebook pages to support agendas that contradict democratic values and the country’s pro-European orientation.
“Some of this disinformation is unfortunately picked up by portals in North Macedonia close to the opposition SDSM party, and even enters traditional media,” Lefkov added.
VMRO-DPMNE contends that the alleged operation is not ideologically motivated, but driven by “revenge and the desperation of Bulgarian politics, which no longer has its proxies in Macedonia.”
“Today, when Macedonia has a stable government and a clear stance, there are no more backroom deals, passports, or secret arrangements in exchange for constitutional changes and historical compromises,” Lefkov said. He suggested the disinformation campaign was reactivated following a resolution by the European Parliament that criticized Bulgaria’s stance toward North Macedonia.
Lefkov also accused the opposition Social Democratic Union (SDSM) of aiding the campaign, arguing they are trying to return to power by undermining the government. “But the truth is clear—these actions harm the country, not just VMRO-DPMNE,” he said.
He alleged a coordinated political effort against the prime minister involving figures such as opposition party leader Dimitar Apasiev and former deputy foreign minister Andrej Zhernovski, whom Lefkov described as being used to initiate “a new wave of lies.”
“They betrayed and sold out the state once, and now with the same shamelessness, they dare speak about passports—against the very person trying to protect what they destroyed,” Lefkov said.
VMRO-DPMNE called on the public, media, and institutions to recognize the seriousness of the situation. “This is not an attack on a party. It is a broader attempt to attack Macedonian identity, sovereignty, and the right to an independent foreign policy,” Lefkov concluded.
SDSM Responds, Accuses Government of Deflection and Fearmongering
In a sharp response, the opposition SDSM said Lefkov’s remarks reflect “panic and fear within the government when faced with the truth.”
“Lefkov, who has avoided his constituents in Kočani for months and failed to provide aid to those affected by tragedy, is now posing as a defender of the nation against so-called ‘domestic traitors,’” SDSM said in a statement.
The party argued that in any normal democracy, the prime minister would resign following serious allegations made by the families of children who died in a recent fire, who claim Mickoski offered them compensation “to name their price” for their loss.
SDSM also accused the ruling party of using Lefkov’s press conferences to distract from scandals, including a controversial law proposed by Interior Minister Panče Toškovski. Critics say the legislation turns the police into a “party militia” loyal to VMRO-DPMNE and facilitates political persecution.
“No one believes these paranoid stories about foreign intelligence anymore,” the SDSM statement read. “They do not put food on people’s tables. This is recycled propaganda from a decade ago.”
SDSM posed several questions to the government, demanding answers about Mickoski’s alleged Bulgarian passport, the reported attempt to negotiate with grieving families, and the politicization of police forces.
“Instead of hiding behind Mile Lefkov’s press conferences, the government should show courage and face the truth,” the statement said.