About 60,000 Ukrainian refugees have found shelter in hotels on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast since the Russian invasion. However, they have to give way at the beginning of the high season. The Bulgarian government has withdrawn the subsidy for hotel owners of about 20 euros per day for housing refugees
Anastasia Saitseva, 35, is standing with suitcases and two children in front of the Melia Sunny Beach Hotel on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The Ukrainian waits for the bus that will take her to a new, unknown accommodation. “I have some money, but it is not enough to fully support the children. I am concerned about where we are being sent.”
Uncertainty for displaced persons is hard to bear
The Melia Sunny Beach Hotel has housed about 2,500 refugees since the start of the war in Ukraine, says manager Hristo Karailiev. Most have already left. Nearly 175 could remain, they would be employed as seasonal workers. For the others, the uncertainty is the hardest to bear. “They were told where to stay only at the last minute,” Karailiev says. In the four-star hotel with 3,200 seats, mainly tourists from Great Britain, Germany and Poland are expected.
According to official figures, about 16,000 refugees from Bulgaria have returned to Ukraine in the past week. About 3,000 people seeking protection have been housed in state facilities and 12,000 people have been housed in smaller hotels. In addition, two refugee camps have been opened near Burgas, near the Turkish border. Bulgaria is the economically weakest country in the EU and is struggling to accommodate refugees.
Affected. “I don’t know why they keep the target a secret”
25-year-old Nadezhda Kusmenko in the coastal town of Varna also has to leave. She thanks for the admission, but regrets the lack of information. “We leave in five minutes and we still don’t know where to go,” she says as she waits with her parents for the bus that will take them to the next shelter. “I don’t know why they’re keeping the destination a secret.”
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
