The freebie is over: Ukrainian refugees are being evicted from hotels in Bulgaria

On October 31, a protest action of Ukrainian refugees took place on the embankment of Sunny Beach. People were outraged that the local authorities were curtailing the resettlement program in hotels from November 15th.

– We were warned that after November 15 everyone will be evicted from the hotels. No one knows where they will be taken, – says Elena from Kharkiv. – Probably, they will settle in abandoned sanatoriums or hostels. Locals are afraid that the state bases look like barracks, they have not been renovated since the Soviet Union. We hope that at least there will be heating there, if they are intended for year-round use. True, there are fears that there will not be enough places in boarding houses for everyone. There is now a new wave of refugees. Thousands of people go to Bulgaria from Kyiv, Odessa, Kharkov. Those who recently got here from Kherson, Zaporozhye, Nikolaev, Dnipro are horrified. These people gave their last money for the bus, they were placed in hotels, they did not have time to come to their senses, as they are told: move out.

– Do you receive cash benefits?

– I don’t know how it is now. I came to Bulgaria in March. Then we were paid a one-time allowance of 190 euros. Placed in a hotel on the coast, where they even fed for free. But such free housing and benefits were provided only to women with children, the disabled and pensioners. The men themselves rented apartments. Most of them lived together, as it is expensive to settle alone. Apartments here rented from 400 euros per month. The work was hard. Yes, and salaries were offered in the region of 250 euros.

– Can you now move to another country?

– So nowhere. In Germany, there is no housing left, they say people are accommodated in gyms for 120 people. There you will definitely have to learn German and look for work, you won’t live in another way. In Switzerland, housing is also difficult. Friends told me that they huddle 15 people in a room. Poland is overcrowded, they now support only the socially unprotected: large families, the disabled, pensioners.

Ukrainians in Bulgaria found themselves in a difficult situation also because many of them sat idle for half a year. People did not look for work, as they hoped that the situation would improve and they would return home. I knew it was a long story. Therefore, when I came to Sunny Beach with two children, I immediately found a job as a cleaning lady in a hotel. For 4 months I was paid 800 euros. There was only enough money for food and household items. I also managed to arrange children in a kindergarten and school, and now we are being evicted to no one knows where. So, again you have to look for a job, a garden, a school.

Pensioner Olesya Stepanovna from Donetsk is also at a loss: “In the spring we were placed in a hotel near Sunny Beach. I immediately started looking for jobs. They offered only a cleaning job with one day off. She returned home and collapsed from exhaustion. It was hell. Now exhale a little. There was less work. I thought it was finally time to learn the language. And then the news came that we were being kicked out. God forbid, do not stay on the street.

Zhanna from Kherson believes that the Bulgarians should not be blamed for the current situation: “The manager of our hotel honestly warned at the meeting that he could no longer receive guests from Ukraine. The state has run out of money. There is no point in blaming local authorities. Europe allocates only 7 euros per person per day for Ukrainian refugees. Of course, hotels cannot support us on such meager means. Moreover, cold weather is coming, electricity consumption will be greater, and prices have increased significantly.

Now the people have been confronted with a fact: move out wherever you want, look for free bases yourself. But I doubt that everyone will find a place. More than 130 people live in our hotel. In other hotels even more. And where will we all be sent, given that state-run sanatoriums have also been occupied by refugees for a long time.”

Ukrainian Zlata arrived in Bulgaria recently and immediately ran into a problem: “Two weeks ago we arrived from the Nikolaev region. We have nowhere to return. In our village there is no gas, electricity and water. We were placed in a hotel in the resort. The room is cold. There is no central heating on the coast. Children sleep under thin summer blankets, there are no others. In the house we go in sweaters and knitted socks. The air conditioner doesn’t work. We wash clothes by hand, you have to pay 2.5 euros for laundry. Microwave, kettle, too, for the money. Now we have to move somewhere. But where? Those who have been in Bulgaria for a long time have already settled in, fussed, booked places for themselves at state bases. And we don’t even know who to turn to. Locals advise to go to Romania. If we knew in advance that this is the situation in Bulgaria, we might consider other countries. And now there is no money to break somewhere.

I know that a lot of buses from Zaporozhye arrived at the Golden Sands resort. Those who have money rented an apartment. But the apartments were cold, there was mold on the walls. The utility bills are huge – from 250-500 euros per month just for heating.”

“We have to live in harsh conditions”

A difficult situation has developed in Bulgaria with volunteers.

– I can say that 90% of the volunteers who initially helped refugees have curtailed their activities. Someone burned out, someone was offended, – says a girl who works with Ukrainians. The refugees didn’t appreciate the help. They constantly demanded something, reproached us, complained that we were not helping enough. This despite the fact that we worked from morning to night, slept for 3-4 hours, gave away our savings. They themselves found psychologists, because at first people came in an inadequate condition. The behavior of some refugees left much to be desired. After all, we were looking for cheap housing for Ukrainians, we negotiated a discount with the owners. When people left, they left behind broken furniture and dirt. Because of these, the attitude towards Ukrainians is appropriate. Now landlords have to be persuaded to accommodate the refugees. Of course, the volunteers are tired. But we still do what we can. For example, we continue to collect warm clothes.

Some refugees complain that they are being resettled, they organize rallies about this. It is not right. I think people themselves are to blame for the fact that in 8 months they could not find a job, save money, improve their life and eventually learn the language, there are enough free courses on the Internet. Most preferred to sunbathe on the seashore. Now they are making excuses that they believed that Ukraine was about to get better and everyone would go home. By the way, at the end of May, indeed, thousands of Ukrainian women returned to Kyiv. And now, when there is no light and heat, they are again told: “Spend the winter abroad.” And they again went to Bulgaria.

– It is not so easy to find a job in Bulgaria.

– Who wanted, they found. It’s just that such people went deep into the country, where there were a lot of vacancies … We tell them that you have two weeks to find a state boarding house where there are vacant places. Already today it is necessary to move there and start putting the premises in order, if it is completely dead. Yes, you may have to fix toilets, wiring, run water, buy bunk beds to save space. You will need warm blankets, heaters. Not everywhere there are air conditioners, it is not known whether they will install them or not. But people again sit and wait for all this to be done for them … And then they will complain why they were settled in metal “containers” or in a camp for illegal migrants.

The resources to support refugees in Bulgaria have long been depleted for everyone, including funds. Even if the Ukrainians are left at the hotel, there will be no former freebie. They will have to pay for their own accommodation, like tourists.