Skopje, 26 November 2025 (MIA) – Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said he “rejects there has been any kind of assault” after having consultations yesterday involving a report by the journalist Vladimir Perev that he had been the subject of a verbal and physical assault by a man in Skopje. 

Asked about Sofia’s rection regarding the Perev case, he responded: “Someone can get wet in the rain and call it a hybrid attack by the government, which puts the integration process at risk.”

 “If someone has decided to hurt themselves and depict it as an attack, even a hybrid one, that’s another story,” Mickoski said adding that the government is used to “constructions and engineering”.

On Tuesday, the Interior Ministry said it is investigating a report filed by journalist Vladimir Perev, 80, after he reportedly was attacked in Skopje.

In a column posted on Tribuna.mk, Perev revealed he had been assaulted by a man in his 40s while queuing at a cashpoint in a Skopje supermarket. He said he was attacked because he is a member of the Bulgarian community. 

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry in a press release posted on its website urged relevant bodies in the Republic of North Macedonia to take timely and efficient measures to investigate and to enable justice.  

Photo: screenshot