site.btaWar Closes Bulgarian Sunday Schools in Russian-Occupied Parts of Ukraine

Tavrian Bulgarians who are under Russian occupation in Ukraine are in a complicated situation, Raina Mandzhukova, Director of the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad (EABA), told a news conference on Friday. She said she was referring to municipalities in Zaporizhzhia Province in Southeastern Ukraine.

Mandzhukova said: "Bulgarian Sunday schools in that area are closed. The teaching of Bulgarian is banned there. Still, we keep in contact with them and are ready to resume working with them as soon as possible. Many of those people are beneficiaries of school funding programmes, and as soon as it becomes possible, the activities will be resumed."

In the free parts of Ukraine, the Bulgarian Summer schools are working and Bulgarian language teaching continues as the Ukrainian education system keeps functioning, she said. It is up to the people in every settlement to decide whether classes should be conducted in-person or online. According to Mandzhukova, EABA should be careful about its initiatives and its work with the Bulgarians in Ukraine.

"We are staying in contact with all Bulgarian communities and organizations. We are aware of their needs and find ways to help them, but we do not think we should blow the trumpet about it," she said.

The news conference marked the 30th anniversary of EABA's establishment.

Mandzhukova identified two types of challenges facing the Agency. First, it needs to resume and develop communication with Bulgarian communities abroad. Second, it should provide the requisite administrative service for certifying the Bulgarian origin of foreigners who have such origin.

Due to EABA's problems in 2018, many of the Bulgarian expatriate communities were afraid to communicate with it. This created a situation where newly emerging communities abroad did not know about EABA. This year, the Agency began to get back in touch with expatriates. It established contact with many young Bulgarians studying in some European countries.

Regrettably, Mandzhukova said, the presentation of EABA's Bulgarian Woman of the Year Award was interrupted by the COVID pandemic.