A year ago, in a televised statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a "special military operation" in Donbas to protect people against “torture by the Kiev regime.” Minutes later, heavy artillery strikes were carried out in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and rockets were fired at important military sites and bases across Ukraine. In the early morning of February 24, for the first time in more than 70 years, the ghost of war in Europe was awakened.

Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have been fighting for 12 months now and the biggest price is paid by the people.

"Ukraine, as it was in 2021 and before that, is no more. This country has a 2,000-kilometer border with Russia and in the next ten, twenty or thirty years, peace there is unlikely. Every Ukrainian must understand it and they would live with this fear and anxiety," Andrey Nikolov, who was born and raised in Odessa, but has been living in Sofia for six years now, tells us.

Mr. Nikolov adds that the situation of Bulgarians in Ukraine is very difficult at the moment:

"There are many Bessarabian Bulgarians who live in the region of Odessa; they don't have electricity and other things, but the situation there is a bit calmer. There is a large community that lives in the occupied territory near the Sea of Azov, in Berdyansk, and the news from there is very bad. People who crossed into Ukrainian territory have already lost their homes in occupied regions and foreign people have settled in them. They don’t know what would happen with Bulgarian language education."

Andrey says that he has been pleasantly surprised by the great generosity that Bulgarians have shown to Ukrainians since February 25 with aid and voluntary work. He also adds that his ancestors once had to flee from the Ottoman Empire and now Bessarabian Bulgarians are once again forced to flee, but this time because of Russia.

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Since the first days of the war, Andrey has been trying to help Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria who need support. Therefore, he created the "Open Doors" Situation Center and he has devoted all his time and energy to it since February 24, 2022.

"We expected that the situation would be even more difficult as we thought that Ukraine would not be able to resist for so long against the aggressor. It was expected that 500,000 people could arrive in Bulgaria, which did not happen," Andrey tells us. According to data of the United Nations as of October last year, there are 54,579 Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria.

Since the beginning of the war, the center has helped thousands of refugees who arrived in this country. Andrey Nikolov has a long-term plan for its development, with a horizon of at least 10 years.

"Our work here will be primarily aimed at the integration of Ukrainians and their inclusion in the labor market. Charity will recede. Our activity is in three directions - cultural integration, psychological and crisis support and education. It is important for us that they do not lose the connection with their homeland, as well as to show them that there are opportunities for their realization in Bulgaria. Education is also of great importance. That is why we have been working to create the first Bulgarian-Ukrainian secondary school."

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The center also cooperates with the Employment Agency and supports Ukrainians who are looking for job in this country. "One of our major tasks is to direct Ukrainians to employers in various fields, but the biggest obstacle is their language skills,” Andrey says.

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• The Bulgarian Cultural Centre in Odessa keeps its doors open even during wartime

English version: Al. Markov