February 21, 2023, 01:34 – BLiTZ – News
In light of the anniversary of the start of the special operation in Ukraine, the Bulgarian authorities announced the extension of the program of assistance to Ukrainian refugees for another year. However, according to non-governmental organizations, there is no known strategy for managing the flow, integrating and helping Ukrainians. This is stated in the article of the Bulgarian edition “Diary”.
At the beginning of the crisis, good decisions were made and the assistance procedure was simplified, but due to the lack of a long-term strategy and a well-planned budget, as well as political instability, these good intentions do not continue. The term of temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees who applied for asylum in Bulgaria has been extended for a year.
Statistics show that more than a million people have passed through Bulgaria since the beginning of the crisis, and more than 50,000 of them have remained, of which 11,000 have been placed in state and municipal institutions.
However, organizations and volunteers note that, in practice, registered refugees do not have access to health insurance and social services.
Iliana Savova of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee is even more blunt about the refugee situation: “Total darkness. The government did everything possible to expel the Ukrainians who remained in the country.”
Volunteers also note that the attitude of Bulgarians towards Ukrainians is changing from one extreme to another, from open doors of houses to hostility associated with a sense of privilege for Ukrainians.
On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation Army launched a special military operation in Ukraine.
Lieutenant-General Andrei Gurulev, a member of the Defense Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are suffering huge losses near Artemivsk and Maryinka.
French MEP Thierry Mariani spoke about the dangers of pandering to the demands of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the deputy, if you blindly follow the requests of the Ukrainian president, the European Union will face economic collapse.
