Bulgaria Won’t Block EU’s 21st Sanctions Package Against Russia and Belarus, Stoyanov Says

Bulgaria confirmed it will not block the adoption of the 21st package of European Union sanctions against Russia and Belarus while raising reservations about specific provisions, according to the country’s Minister of Defense, Dimitar Stoyanov.

“A years-long lawsuit between the college-focused social app Fizz and rival Sidechat over unfair competition practices has taken an interesting turn”

TechCrunch

Sofia said it wants to remove Vagit Alekperov, the former president and current shareholder of the Russian company Lukoil, from the sanctions list, citing concerns that restrictions could negatively affect the operations of Lukoil group enterprises in Bulgaria.

TechCrunch

The Bulgarian government also said it is paying special attention to an arbitration dispute with Lukoil in which the company is demanding around 3 billion euros from Bulgaria, and it does not rule out that new sanctions could complicate the process.

Sofia further flagged concerns about ensuring that the capital’s metro system has the necessary components, saying sanctions against certain Russian companies could cause difficulties in maintaining trains, and it expressed objections to possible restrictions against Togliattikhimbank linked to the supply of Russian fertilizers.

In the college social media space, Fizz expanded its lawsuit against competitor Sidechat by alleging that a venture capitalist at Maveron shared confidential information from a fundraising pitch with the rival startup.

TechCrunch reported that in a new filing, Fizz accused investor Jerry Lu, who is with venture capital firm Maveron, of meeting with Fizz under the guise of exploring a potential investment but then sharing Fizz’s non-public information with Sidechat.

The Tech Buzz

Fizz’s complaint says founders Teddy Solomon and Ashton Cofer shared non-public information about Fizz’s “business strategy, growth plans, campus-launch playbook, user metrics, ambassador program, fundraising efforts, and product roadmap,” during a March 2022 meeting.

The dispute also ties into Sidechat’s ownership changes, because TechCrunch said Fizz learned of Lu’s involvement through legal discovery and that the information was transmitted to Flower Ave Inc., which acquired the Yik Yak app in 2023.

Kyle Venn, CEO of Yik Yak and Sidechat, told TechCrunch via email that “These are allegations, not court findings. We deny any wrongdoing and will address this through the legal process.”

“The legal dispute between the social platformFizz, popular among US college students, and its main competitorSidechathas reached a new stage”

Zamin.uz

Venn also said the alleged events happened before the current Sidechat team acquired the business in 2025 and inherited the lawsuit, adding that “No one on today’s operating team was involved.”

TechCrunch said Fizz originally sued Sidechat in 2023, alleging attempts to disrupt launches at various college campuses, spreading false rumors about hackers accessing Fizz’s data, sending false spam reports to Instagram, and paying students to delete Fizz’s app.

Beyond the courtroom, TechCrunch reported that the UNC system banned the apps from its campuses across North Carolina, citing the bullying and bad behavior that take place on anonymous social platforms.