The war in Ukraine, which has been going on for four days now, has provoked a number of political and human reactions. "As the war in Ukraine rages on, and Ukrainians fight bravely for their country, the European Union steps up once more its support for Ukraine and the sanctions against the aggressor – Putin's Russia. For the first time ever, the European Union will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and other equipment to a country that is under attack”, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Earlier, the countries of the community closed their airspace to private and civil flights of Russian airlines, and some Russian banks were excluded from the main international payment system SWIFT.

The Ukrainian people also receive unprecedented sympathy from ordinary people across the EU who travel by their own transport to the border with Poland and Romania. There they offer transport and food to Ukrainian citizens seeking refuge from the war.

Bulgaria is also ready to accept both Ukrainians and Bessarabian Bulgarians, whose community in Ukraine is, according to various estimates, between 300,000 to 500,000 people. The first few buses with evacuated Bulgarian citizens have already arrived in Bulgaria, as well as many Bulgarians and Ukrainians travelling with their own transport.

• Bulgaria launches a Unified Information Portal to help refugees fleeing Ukraine

The Bulgarian Red Cross has launched its campaign to raise humanitarian aid for Bessarabian Bulgarians and Ukrainians who cannot leave Ukraine.

The Centre of Bessarabian Bulgarians in Bulgaria is one of the non-governmental organizations that are also actively involved in the process.

“The two offices of the Centre of Bessarabian Bulgarians in Bulgaria at 8 Tsar Kaloyan Street and in the Vitosha district of Sofia are already overcrowded and the building has given us another room where we can collect the aid that we receive”, says the founder of the centre, Raina Mandzhukova, in an interview with Radio Bulgaria. “I am infinitely grateful for the empathy of all my beloved Bulgarian people. There are over 180 volunteers registered with us who wanted to receive and accommodate refugees from the war. They are from all over the country, including the Rhodopes," she added.

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The Centre of Bessarabian Bulgarians in Bulgaria expressed its readiness for help in the afternoon of February 24. In a call published on social networks, they shared their desire to start talks with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the National Representation of Student Councils for faster settlement of refugee status in Bulgaria.

Facilitating the procedure for obtaining the status and citizenship Bulgarians from the community in Ukraine is a key issue, the resolution of which should be a priority for Bulgaria at the moment.

"I think that at the moment the Ministry of Interior, and in particular the services in the Migration Directorate, urgently need to reconsider the mechanisms for granting permanent residence status to persons of Bulgarian origin," explains Mandzhukova, who is also former chairperson of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad. "They have their proof of Bulgarian origin, but they don't have the 'D' visa needed to get it."

The issuance of a "D" visa is carried out in Bulgarian embassies and consulates abroad. It is valid for 6 months and allows legal residence in the country for a period of 180 days due to work, business, medical, family or investment reasons. Without it, the stay of citizens is possible up to 90 days.

Mandzhukova also calls for speeding up the processing of already registered files for Bulgarian citizenship. The speed with which the decree for obtaining citizenship is issued is also important for shortening the deadlines for obtaining the prepared ID documents.

English version Rositsa Petkova