The newly appointed special commercial administrator of Lukoil Neftochim Burgas, Rumen Spetsov, moved quickly on his first day in the role, dismissing Evgeny Manyakhin as chairman of the board and withdrawing his authority to represent the company. The decision, which applies only to Lukoil Neftochim Burgas, has already been submitted to the Commercial Register. Manyakhin will remain on the board, but without his previous representative powers. The update has not yet appeared in the public database, as the Registry Agency is still processing the changes.

The other three Lukoil entities operating in Bulgaria have not seen comparable actions so far, according to the register. As of November 17, Lukoil Aviation Bulgaria is managed jointly by Russian citizen Mikhail Sizov and Spetsov. The same pair is listed as managers of Lukoil-Bulgaria Bunker, while Lukoil-Bulgaria itself is registered under the management of Spetsov and Aleksandar Velichkov.

Spetsov, a former head of the National Revenue Agency, was nominated and approved as special commercial administrator during an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council at the Council of Ministers. His appointment follows recent amendments to the law regulating activities related to oil and petroleum products, which prompted Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov to initiate a fast-track selection process.

In a separate statement, Lukoil said its operations in Bulgaria will continue without disruption. The group stressed that fuel supply will remain stable and that its activities will be carried out with full transparency. The company pledged strict financial oversight and compliance with international regulatory requirements and sanction regimes. According to the announcement, the refinery in Burgas will now be represented jointly by Spetsov and Manyakhin, who retains both his board membership and his role as a legal representative despite losing the chairmanship.