Bulgarian-language Sega daily accused President Georgi Purvanov of waging war on the paper and the company that publishes it. In a front-page editorial published on February 9 2009, Sega's editor-in-chief Teodora Peeva alleged that Purvanov has said that "I would not let a newspaper to undermine the political foundations of the state".

Allegedly, Purvanov said the words off the record while on his state visit to Moscow on February 4-5 2009, the editorial said, quoting people who had accompanied Purvanov in Moscow. Peeva also quoted the words of an unnamed Purvanov aide, who allegedly said that "we have shut down Sega".

The reason for Purvanov's alleged reaction, according to Peeva, was his intention to offer Russia's natural gas provider Gazprom a deal that would oust gas company Overgas from the natural gas deliveries deals between Bulgaria and Russia. Currently, the country has contracts with three intermediary companies for Russian natural gas deliveries, one of which is Overgas Inc, co-owned by Gazprom and Overgas.

Sega is published by a company owned by Sasho Donchev, executive director of Overgas Inc and one of the shareholders in Overgas, which was why Peeva linked Purvanov's alleged statement to the natural gas deliveries issue. According to her, Purvanov wanted to get rid of the company serving as intermediary between Bulgaria and Russia, which would include applying pressure on Sega.

Indeed, Purvanov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying that Bulgaria was ready to let Gazprom operate the natural gas network in Bulgaria as part of the process of the country having contracts directly with Gazprom.

Gazprom is a shareholder in all of the three intermediary companies, but only one of them is a wholly owned subsidiary, while in the other two private shareholders hold 50 per cent. In Overgas' case this is Sasho Donchev.

Bulgarian-language daily Dnevnik quoted Russian newspaper Vremya Novostey as saying that Gazprom was willing to oust Overgas because "Bulgaria's current Government does not like the private shareholders in the company".

For Peeva this meant that Purvanov was trying to oust Overgas from business. If Gazprom took full control over Overgas, then this would have to be approved by Bulgaria's Commission for Protection of Competition.

In a letter sent to Dnevnik, Purvanov's office denied Peeva's allegation.