2024-03-23 14:28:31
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Bulgaria H.E. Olesya Ilashchuk was received today by the mayor of Ruse municipality Pencho Milkov. She was accompanied by her deputy – Anna Tertychna, and by the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Ruse, Plamen Bobokov. The meeting was attended by the Deputy Mayors of Ruse Dimitar Nedev and Nikola Lazarov, as well as the Chairman of the Municipal Council Academician Hristo Beloev.
Olesya Ilashchuk expressed heartfelt thanks for the help that the Ruse municipality has provided to Ukrainian refugees in the last more than two years since the start of military operations on the territory of Ukraine. She also noted the support, both at the local and state level, for her compatriots who have decided to stay in Bulgaria.
The Ukrainian diplomat did not forget to thank the temporary support center for refugees from Ukraine, which was built 2 years ago, and which opened on the territory of the Central Railway Station in Ruse. It was created as a result of the joint efforts of the municipal and regional administration and volunteers from Ruse. An organization was then created for the Ukrainian refugees, in which wagons from the train from Bucharest were directly attached to the compositions for Sofia and Varna, without having to transfer to the station in Ruse. This was announced by the press center of Ruse Municipality.
The support provided to 47 competitors and coaches from the Ukrainian national canoe-kayak team, who were accommodated in the municipal hostel at the Nikolovo dam in March 2022, was also commented on. With the assistance of the Ruse canoe-kayak club “Lokomotiv”, many volunteers , donors and the municipal administration, the athletes supported the training process and stayed in Ruse until the beginning of June.
During the talks, the topic of Ukrainian students in Bulgaria, who pay exorbitant fees, as they are currently perceived as citizens of a country outside the EU, was also touched upon. According to a European directive, they should be treated as European citizens in the member states of the European Union, but at the state level this is not a reality. The “Angel Kanchev” University of Ruse is the first in the country and one of the few, which two years ago equated the fees of Ukrainian students with those of those from Europe who wish to study here.