Christo Grozev

Christo Grozev (; born 20 May 1969) is a Bulgarian investigative journalist and author, whose coverage focuses on Russian intelligence operations. He is the head of investigations with The Insider, and former lead Russia investigator with Bellingcat. He also writes for Der Spiegel. His investigations into the identity of the suspects involved in the 2018 poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal earned him and his team the European Press Prize for Investigative Journalism, and the enmity of the Russian state.

Early life Grozev was born in Plovdiv on 20 May 1969. Between 1984 and 1988, he attended Plovdiv's English Language High School. In 1995, he graduated from the American University in Bulgaria with a Bachelor of Arts degree in "Mass Communication and Media Studies". He later received an Executive MBA, a Master of Law and Economics, and a Master of Laws from Imadec Executive Education, specialising in Finance, Law, Economics, and International Law. Grozev also speaks and writes in Russian fluently.

Career

Radio Grozev started to work as a journalist for a newspaper when he was 17; later on he worked as a radio reporter during the socialist period in Bulgaria. Since 1988 he has been a radio reporter in Plovdiv. In 1991 he was one of the founders and CEO of Bulgaria's first commercial radio station – Aura – which was affiliated with the American University in Bulgaria. GRU officers involved with the 2016 Montenegrin coup plot, the three suspects of the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in 2018 and the poisoning of Alexei Navalny in 2020.

In 2019, Grozev and his team won the European Press Prize Investigative Reporting Award for "Unmasking the Salisbury Poisoning Suspects: A Four-Part Investigation", The film's creators paid tribute to Grozev upon collecting the award. The film went on to win the Best Documentary Award at the 95th Academy Awards, which Grozev appeared on stage to accept the award alongside Director Daniel Roher and Yulia Navalnaya.

YouTube Channel Since November 2024, Grozev has hosted a YouTube channel titled The Christo Files, in which he discusses aspects of his work, which he characterises as “data-driven investigative journalism.”

Russian wanted list and target On 26 December 2022 the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia announced that Grozev was on its "wanted" list without disclosing the reason. According to Russian state-owned domestic news agency RIA Novosti, a criminal case was opened against Grozev for "spreading fakes". On 21 April 2023 Moscow ordered his arrest in absentia. RIA cited a law enforcement source as saying Grozev was accused of facilitating the escape of Roman Dobrokhotov, the editor of a Russian news outlet The Insider, who left Russia in 2021.

According to British investigators, Grozev was shadowed by a group of agents on behalf of Russia in several countries, including Austria, Montenegro, and Spain. The coordinator of the ring was the Austrian criminal Jan Marsalek, who went into hiding in Russia. The agents, who came from Bulgaria, are also said to have broken into his apartment, stolen one of his computers and spied on his life in Vienna, where he lived for a time. The mission title was “Operation Vienna”. In 2025, several members of the group stood trial in Britain for espionage.

Awards 2019 — The European Press Prize Investigative Reporting Award 2021 — The Nannen Prize by Gruner + Jahr for Investigation 2022 — The ICFJ Innovation in International Reporting Award