Bulgaria has extended the staying program for refugees from Ukraine for an unlimited period, reports The Sofia Globe.
Bulgaria will reportedly continue to host Ukrainian refugees but will move them from hotels to government facilities. A 15-day deadline will be given until mid-November for people who were accommodated in hotels to be relocated to appropriate premises.
“Only Bulgaria and two other countries – Cyprus and Ireland – provide such protection for an unlimited period. On the other hand, we want to make sure that in winter these people will be accommodated in the right places and they will not have to move to harsh climatic conditions,” the minister commented Ivan Demerjiev, Minister of Internal Affairs of Bulgaria.
According to a special government portal, as of October 31, a total of 852,998 Ukrainians entered Bulgaria after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
In total, 54,968 people remain in Bulgaria. Almost 51,500 children are being educated. Bulgaria granted temporary protection status to 143,670 Ukrainians.
Ukrainians were urged not to return home until spring
Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, called on Ukrainians who left the country because of the war to spend the winter abroad.
“I will ask you not to return, we need to survive the winter. Unfortunately, the networks will not last, you see what Russia is doing, and everyone can see it. To return now is again to expose yourself, your children, all your vulnerable relatives who may be or sick, or immobile, or old. That is, there is no need to do this. If there is an opportunity, stay for the winter abroad,” she emphasized.