site.bta78,000 Ukrainians Remain in Bulgaria

Over 314,000 Ukrainian nationals have entered Bulgaria since Russia invaded their country on February 24. Some 235,000 of them subsequently left Bulgaria, and a little over 78,000 stayed behind. The data was unveiled by Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Petar Todorov at a briefing on Thursday.

More than 5,000 foreigners were accommodated in Interior Ministry facilities at some point this year, Migration Directorate Chief Nikolai Nikolov said. They were from Afghanistan, Syria, Morocco, Iraq and Pakistan. Four thousand foreigners have entered Bulgaria illegally so far in 2022.

Todorov reported 38,000 border trespassing attempts since January. The flow peaked in April, most visibly through the border with Turkey. The camps run by the Migration Directorate became overcrowded, and therefore an emergency action plan was activated. Military personnel was deployed at the border. The migrant pressure was contained, the Chief Secretary said.

The crime rate in Bulgaria in January-May 2022 dropped by 5%, the Interior Ministry reported. Chief Secretary Todorov dismissed allegations to the contrary.

About 34,000 crimes were registered over the five-month period. Crime clearance increased by 4%. In the case of drug-related crimes and thefts, clearance rose by 10%.

Security Police acted on 330,000 reports about crimes between January and May 2022. They provided security for 10,000 events.

Traffic accidents, including fatal ones, increased. The month of May alone saw 590 traffic accidents in which 35 people were killed and 700 injured. In a bid to reverse the tendency, growing numbers of Interior Ministry employees are being sent on field duty to control traffic.

Some 15,000 fires were detected over the reporting period. They were more than a year earlier.