Christo Grozev

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Christo Grozev is a Bulgarian investigative journalist and author. He leads investigations at The Insider and used to be the lead Russia investigator for the open-source group Bellingcat. He also writes for Der Spiegel. His work identifying suspects in the 2018 Skripal poisoning won the European Press Prize for Investigative Reporting and drew strong opposition from Russia.

Grozev was born on 20 May 1969 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. He studied at the American University in Bulgaria, earning a BA in Mass Communication and Media Studies. He later earned an Executive MBA, a Master of Law and Economics, and a Master of Laws from Imadec Executive Education. He speaks Russian fluently.

He began as a journalist at 17 and worked as a radio reporter in Bulgaria. He helped found Aura, Bulgaria’s first commercial radio station. During the 1990s he worked with Metromedia, helping launch and run radio stations across Russia and Europe. After Metromedia left the radio business, he bought and later sold radio assets and expanded media ventures in Bulgaria, the Netherlands, and beyond. He has been involved with Altelys Investments and has held roles with Talpa Radio Holding since 2016.

Grozev joined Bellingcat in 2015, using open sources and social media to uncover hidden information. His notable investigations include the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, the 2016 Montenegrin coup plot, the 2018 Skripal poisoning, and the 2020 poisoning of Alexei Navalny. In 2019 his team won the European Press Prize for the Skripal investigation.

In late 2022, Russia put Grozev on a wanted list and opened a criminal case against him for allegedly “spreading fakes.” In 2023 Moscow ordered his arrest in absentia, linked to an accusation that he helped The Insider editor Roman Dobrokhotov escape Russia.

Grozev was featured in the 2022 documentary Navalny, which won awards including the BAFTA and an Oscar. He has said he has been shadowed by Russian agents in several countries. He was married to Stefka Grozeva in the 1990s.