Refugee agency: More than 22 000 Ukrainians relocated in Bulgaria
So far, 22 137 Ukrainians who have temporary protection in Bulgaria have been relocated to designated facilities, State Agency for Refugees head Mariana Tosheva told Radio Sofia on June 3.
This follows the May 31 end of the system whereby Bulgaria paid hoteliers 40 leva per person per day to accommodate Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s war on their country. Following the end of the scheme, and chaos surrounding the phase to succeed it, thousands of Ukrainian refugees have left Bulgaria.
About 62 000 Ukrainians were accommodated in hotels during that first phase of the scheme.
Registration data must be submitted to the system of the Ministry of Tourism and the full picture is expected by June 6, Tosheva said.
Tosheva said that the initial accommodation in the hotels could not be considered a mistake, because no one had expected that the war would continue and require a longer stay for the Ukrainians.
She said that a survey had been done, which was supposed to give an idea of how many people needed a medical or children’s institution nearby.
The Ministry of Education had given an assurance that, if necessary, school buses could be provided for Ukrainian children.
Meanwhile, Sofia district governor Ivan Kyuchukov has placed restrictions on filming the places in the city where Ukrainian refugees are housed.
He told Bulgarian National Television on June 3 that this did not mean a ban on filming and that any media outlet that wants to film the conditions for the accommodation of refugees from Ukraine must write in advance to the email address [email protected].
“We are not restricting your access to them, we only want it to be channelled and it to be at a time that is convenient for them, when they agree, to reduce stress and tension on them,” Kyuchukov told BNT.
(Archive photo: Just4You/freeimages.com)
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