site.btaUPDATED Ukrainian Refugees at Golden Sands Resort Hotels Protest against Relocation to State Recreation Facilities

Ukrainian refugees staying at hotels in the Golden Sands resort staged a protest on Wednesday against the lack of clarity on their future and their relocation to State-owned recreation facilities. The discontented were mostly women and children, who held signs reading, "Do not make me chance schools" and "I cannot change my general practitioner", among others. They chanted, "Please help" and some of them waved the Ukrainian national flag.

Lena, who came here from Mykolaiv, commented that the main concerns of the refugees are that there is no clarity about the future. They want to remain at the hotels where they are currently accommodated, because they have local GPs and children who go to local schools and kindergartens. There is also no clarity about the State-owned facilities where they will be relocated.

Commenting on the issue, caretaker Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said that his Ministry should update the data on the refugees staying at hotels, because the lists with which work is currently being done are not accurate. In his words, a check was conducted to determine the profile of those accommodated at hotels and see who fall in the-called vulnerable groups, and its findings are alarming. Out of the 14,000 people checked, 3,200 were missing from the accommodations at which they were listed as staying.

"We have made a list of the facilities where Ukrainian refugees can be accommodated. We have checked these. In no moment will we allow a situation where there is nowhere to accommodate people wishing to be accommodated. We have established 34,000 places at first reading. These are located across the entire country. At present, we will prefer the facilities by the sea to allow for easier relocation of those living in the area of Burgas," Demerdzhiev explained.

On October 31, the caretaker cabinet adopted changes to the programme for humanitarian assistance to displaced persons from Ukraine by providing temporary asylum in Bulgaria. According to the changes, the programme is extended until November 15, 2022. The assistance will continue through accommodation at State-owned and municipal facilities, with a 15-day deadline for people who are in hotels to be relocated.

Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov recently said that nearly BGN 523 million have been spent on Ukrainian refugees thus far, of which BGN 200 million came from the state budget and the rest, from restructured EU programmes and funds.