Ukrainian Refugees Face Eviction from Bulgarian Hotels

People demonstrate in front of the Russian embassy in Sofia on 24 February in support of Ukraine. Photo: EPA-EFE/VASSIL DONEV

Over 56,000 refugees from Ukraine are currently being hosted in Bulgaria and are now being moved to different state-owned bases.

The figure was quoted on Friday by Minister of Tourism Hristo Prodanov, who is engaged with the process, since many of the refugees were temporarily staying in out-of-season hotels that are now needed for the looming tourist season. 

"Whether the Ukrainians will stay in these locations or would want to go back [home] due to a possible calming of the war situation is difficult to predict," the Minister of Transport, Hristo Prodanov, also a Bulgarian Socialist Party member, said.

We should have in mind that there will be an increasing number of Ukrainians who will find work in our country and will not need the program", he added.

In April, Prodanov called for the cancellation of benefits to the Ukrainian refugees, saying: "Three months of solidarity and support are enough, these people should now work and find a place to live like everyone else."

Since Russia's war in Ukraine started, refugees who couldn't find accommodation in the bigger cities were settled temporarily in hotels in Black Sea resorts, where managers gave out rooms for free and got compensation from the state.

However, many hotels were disappointed by the subsidies of 40 lev per refugee, roughly 20 euros, which recently dropped to 15 lev, or 7.67 euros.

Meanwhile, the summer tourism season is starting and the refugees have to leave the hotel rooms because of upcoming reservations. 

By May 31, all refugees who had not found their own place to stay were to be transferred to state-owned...