New protest by Ukrainian refugees against plans to move them to state accommodation, they insist to remain in hotels

Ukrainian refugees on November 10 protest again, demanding to stay in private hotels instead of being accommodated in state-run facilities. Their concern is that there is not enough heating in the state bases and that there are no schools or kindergartens nearby.

The hoteliers, for their part, agree to continue with the old state –supported programme.

According to BNT sources, 15 BGN will be the payment in the state bases without meals.

Apart from the seaside resort of Sunny Beach, there are protests in Varna, Kranevo, Primorsko and Bansko.

Demanding not to be moved to state bases, Ukrainian citizens in the ski resort of Bansko gathered for a peaceful protest. They have not yet received any information about the upcoming relocation, where and how they will be transported.

They are asking to be allowed to stay in the hotels in Bansko, where there are already children enrolled in school, until the hotel accommodation programme is continued.

They are worried about the conditions in the state facilities and whether the places they are going to will have the necessary conditions such as heating, proximity to shops, pharmacies and doctors.

Caretaker Minister of Interior: We have secured state bases for the accommodation of Ukrainian refugees

At the beginning of the month they sent a petition to the Ministry of Tourism with their demands.

image by Vladislava Milanova

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On November 1, a day after the Bulgarian caretaker government announced the decision that Ukrainian refugees accommodated in hotels in a state-supported scheme are to be moved to state-run facilities, there were protests.

Ukrainian refuges and hoteliers protested in the centre of Sunny Beach on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, on the night of October 31 and again on November 1. They called on the caretaker government to reverse its decision.