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Two Bulgarians from the Bolhrad region have recently died while serving in Ukraine According to the Bolhrad Regional Military Administration passed away on September 6 in the Kharkiv region He was serving as a soldier in Ukraine's State Border Service The date for Dachev's funeral will be announced later as per the Bolhrad administration's report also died after being hospitalized with severe injuries Boev was mobilized in the Ukrainian army as a mechanic and tank operator in the 110th Operational Mechanized Brigade The Bolhrad Regional Military Administration has extended its condolences to the families of the deceased the Bessarabian Bulgarian population in Ukraine is estimated at over 129,000 in Budjak located in the Odesa Oblast in southern Ukraine with an additional 75,000 scattered throughout other parts of Southern Ukraine The total count of Bulgarians in Ukraine stands at 204,600 Bulgarians constitute a significant portion of the population where they number 45,600 out of 75,000 residents Other districts in Budjak with notable Bulgarian populations include Artsyz the city of Izmail has a Bulgarian community of 8,600 out of a total population of 85,100 Odesa has seen an influx of Bulgarians in recent years The city of Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky has a Bulgarian population of about 4% making them the third-largest ethnic group in the city We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria with 45.2% of those aged 16–74 having bought goods or services via the internet in the past year European countries are struggling to mobilize even 25,000 troops to Ukraine for a potential peacekeeping mission South Korea's intelligence agency has reported that approximately 600 North Korean soldiers President Donald Trump has made mixed statements regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions in the ongoing war in Ukraine The European Union is considering the possibility of separating Ukraine and Moldova in their EU accession processes due to Hungary's opposition to Ukraine's membership talks Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a short-term "ceasefire" from 8 to 10 May The European Commission has strongly condemned the circumstances surrounding the death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a so-called "humanitarian" truce to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II Google Street View Cars Return to Bulgaria for Major Mapping Update Housing Prices Soar in Bulgaria’s Major Cities as Demand and Supply Strain Increase The aggressor troops continued to shell and bomb Ukrainian positions and undertook offensive actions on various sections of the contact line locally improving the so-called tactical position but generally failing to achieve success and suffering losses On 3 May in the afternoon they were to launch a massive assault on the Azovstal combine Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said the country did not have enough heavy weaponry to deblock Mariupol rocket attacks took place in eight oblasts mainly on railway supply system facilities – six traction substations in Dnipropetrovsk Lviv (three facilities) and Zakarpattia (in Zakarpattia the gas pipeline in Volovets was damaged) Vinnytsia and Odesa oblasts (in the Artsyz region on the route from Romania to Odesa; on 2 May there was another strike on the recently partially opened railway bridge over the Dniester Liman) The Russian defence ministry announced the use of Oniks winged rockets hitherto considered a weapon for destroying ships This gave rise – after a pause of several weeks – to new media reflections on the depletion of the invader’s stock of precision weapons According to the Main Reconnaissance Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine a recruitment drive for contract service has been activated in Russia targeting citizens of Siberia and the Far East Recruitment quotas of 200 ‘volunteers’ per week are to be in place with priority given to those with military experience The Head of the Personnel Board of the Staff of the Land Forces of Ukraine presented data on the course and prospects of mobilization At the end of February and the beginning of March the manpower of the units was fully completed the rate of recruitment has slowed down and is associated with the need for their ongoing replenishment It is possible that mobilisation will continue after 24 May (the current one has been announced for three months) but no information has been provided on the army’s main needs in terms of military specialisations the aggressor cut off most Ukrainian operators and rerouted network traffic through its infrastructure meaning it is routed through Russia and subject to censorship Ukrainian telecoms operators are able to provide telephone services on 70% of the Oblast’s territory but cannot maintain mobile internet access The head of Ukrainian military intelligence said that the invaders planned to create two provinces in the occupied territories called Taurida (which was part of the Russian Empire from 1802 to 1917) is to include the territory of Crimea and parts of the Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts the city of Dnipro and parts of the Kherson The Kremlin was yet to decide whether the occupied Donbas territories would be incorporated into Russia Budanov warned that the aggressor wanted to orchestrate a humanitarian disaster to force the local population to accept aid on condition of accepting the new political reality He also announced that the Russians were suffering from a significant shortage of personnel and that collaborators – due to effective resistance and lack of popular support – were unable to manage the occupied localities The invaders exported a third of the grain reserves (about 400,000 tonnes) from the occupied territories in an attempt to reduce shortages in some regions of Russia about 1.3 million tonnes of grain remain in the occupied territories which is needed to ensure the food security of the population and to carry out sowing of spring crops Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada voted a final ban on pro-Russian political parties (their activity was suspended in March) whose programme and activities deny or justify Russian armed aggression portray it as a civil war and glorify or justify those contributing to it The parliament also adopted amendments to the law ‘On the foundations of national resistance’ allowing territorial defence forces (TDF) to carry out tasks independently in areas of combat operations This shows that the armed forces need immediate support on the front line TDF can cover sections where there is no intense fighting allowing regular troops to be redeployed to where enemy attacks are ongoing The Verkhovna Rada was addressed – for the first time since the outbreak of war – by President Volodymyr Zelensky who appealed to its members to be united and not to waste time on legislation of secondary importance He stressed that they were MPs of ‘the greatest country at the moment’ and therefore should be guided by ‘rationalism and healthy nationalism’ in an interview with The Wall Street Journal he expressed his belief that a ceasefire could only come about as a result of a meeting between the presidents of the warring parties and the formal signing of an agreement he stressed that Ukraine would never accept the frozen conflict and Russia’s territorial gains British Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared before the Verkhovna Rada by videoconference and announced the transfer of another package of military aid 32 diplomatic missions evacuated after the start of hostilities to Lviv or abroad have already returned to Kyiv the US embassy may return to the capital (on 24 April President Joe Biden appointed Bridget A after almost three years of vacancy in the post) The Rating Group’s survey shows a progressive decline in Ukrainians’ identification with their Soviet past The collapse of the USSR is regretted by 11% of respondents (down from 46% in 2010; in Russia in this period there was an increase from 55 to 63%) Attitudes towards 9 May have changed: before 2022 it was considered a significant while now it has become a relic of the past (for 36%) or just an ordinary day (for 23%) As many as 80% of Ukrainians refer to this day as Remembrance Day and only 15% as Victory Day (in 2018 – 58%) 78% highly value the contribution of their own people to the victory over fascism and 67% believe that Ukrainians had the greatest share in the triumph in World War II 81% recognise the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) as participants in Ukraine’s struggle for independence (this figure has quadrupled since 2010) 65% support renaming Russian or Soviet street names and 71% support dismantling monuments associated with Russia The percentage of Ukrainians who use Russian in their daily communication continues to decrease – in 2012 it was about 40% the number of those declaring themselves ‘bilingual’ is increasing (33%) The Russians claim that a total of 2 754 241 people are to be deported there 19,400 people entered Poland from Ukraine (an increase of 4.3% on the previous day) and since the outbreak of the war – 3.14 million law enforcement agencies have registered more than 400,000 Ukrainian refugees children and elderly people (data are constantly updated) and 92,000 Ukrainian children and young people have been sent to schools there Biuletyn Informacji Publicznej Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The changes were made in order to improve passenger service Express runs with stops at the stations Belgorod-Dnestrovsky “We ask passengers to carefully check the train schedule and plan their trips taking into account temporary and seasonal changes,” the press center advises It is worth reminding that the Danube Express was launched on November 20 Since then the train has changed its schedule for the second time The routes are operated by a diesel train that can move at a speed of up to 140 km / h The train includes 3 carriages with 170 seats This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Bitter Winter A magazine on religious liberty and human rights 02/16/2024 A+ | A- by Willy Fautré with Ievgeniia Gidulianova Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv in 2023 Source: Presidency of Ukraine.Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni is keeping her promise made as early as August 2023 to contribute financially to the emergency restoration of the Transfiguration Cathedral of Odessa heavily damaged by Russian shelling on 23 July 2023 In early February 2024, an agreement was signed between Italy and UNESCO on the allocation of funds, according to the Odessa City Council The Italian government delegation was chaired by Davide La Cecilia Special Envoy for the Reconstruction and Strengthening of Ukraine’s Resilience On the night of July 23, 2023, Russian troops carried out a massive attack on the territory of Odessa and the region The blow fell on the historical center of Odessa included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in particular the Transfiguration Cathedral Half of the cathedral was left without a roof the central piles and foundation were broken in the building Rescuers and clergy managed to save some icons including the Kasperovskaya Icon of the Mother of God installed for the 100th anniversary of Odessa Ukraine and Italy signed an agreement to repair the Transfiguration Cathedral and urgent conservation work of the roof was started by the Odessa Diocese Source: X.Reconstruction to be based on a tripartite Memorandum and under a Supervisory BoardThe mayor’s office said that the plans are to sign a tripartite Memorandum of Cooperation on the Reconstruction of Odessa (Italy – Ukraine – UNESCO) as well as separately one between Italy and Ukraine where the areas of cooperation will be marked which will include all parties to the tripartite Memorandum will include scientists from the Polytechnic Institute of Milan and the National Museum of Modern Art and Architecture in Rome It should be wise for the Ukrainian side to include Prof. Meshcheriakov in the Supervisory Board as his name is closely connected with the history of the reconstruction of the Odessa Cathedral which was completely destroyed during Stalin’s time Meshcheriakov is a member of the Ukrainian Committee of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) Chairman of the Odessa regional branch of the Architectural Chamber of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine forensic expert of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine Research Fellow on the British Academy’s Researchers at Risk Programme He is the author of two monographs and more than seventy scientific publications theses in the field of architecture and protection of cultural heritage a group of architects in 1999 was the laureate of the national call for projects for the reconstruction of the Odessa Cathedral which was rebuilt in 2000–2010 on the basis of his project He was then awarded the State Prize of Ukraine in the field of architecture for the reconstruction of the Odessa Cathedral He is also the author of a book on this topic Inside the bombed cathedral. Source: X.The legal status of the Cathedral: complex and unclearThe legal status of the Transfiguration Cathedral is rather complex and unclear it was considered a church with a special status and rights of broad autonomy affiliated to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church/Moscow Patriarchate (UOC/MP) the Council of the UOC/MP removed all references to such dependence from its statutes stressing its financial autonomy and the absence of any external interference in the appointment of its clergy It hereby dissociated itself from the Russian Orthodox Church and stopped commemorating Patriarch Kirill (of the Russian Orthodox Church) at the divine services because of his support to Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine This distancing did however not lead to a schism from Moscow so that the UOC can keep its canonical status the process of transfer of UOC parishes to the national Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) founded in December 2018 under President Poroshenko and recognized by Constantinople Patriarchate on 5 January 2019 In this context, the comment of Archdeacon Andriy Palchuk, a cleric of the Odessa Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) about the damage caused to the cathedral is worth mentioning: “The destruction is colossal Half of the cathedral is left without a roof The central pillars and the foundation are broken the part where icons and candles are sold in the church caught fire the emergency services arrived and extinguished everything.” On 23 July 2023, Archbishop Victor of Artsyz (UOC) appealed to Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church in a virulent way about the shelling of the cathedral He accused him of supporting the war against Ukraine and personally blessing the Russian Armed Forces who are committing atrocities Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church kept silent about the heavy damage caused to the Orthodox Cathedral of Odessa by Russian shelling and has not proposed any financial or other assistance to its reconstruction A float satirizing Patriarch Kirill’s subservient attitude to Putin at the Düsseldorf From X.Japan’s assistanceJapan offered Ukraine financial assistance to restore cultural heritage The signing ceremony was held on 7 February at the organization’s headquarters in Paris It was attended by Japan’s representative to UNESCO Kano Takehiro and Ambassador of Ukraine to France Vadym Omelchenko Japanese officials say that this year their country will allocate about 14.6 million US dollars to Ukraine These funds will help preserve the world heritage in the historical center of Odessa which was affected by Russian missile strikes On 24–25 February, a symposium on Ukrainian culture against the background of war will be held at Keio University in Tokyo and will be accessible online after registration Poster for the Keio University symposium.Last year, the Consul General of the Hellenic Republic in Odessa, Dimitrios Dohtsis, announced that Greece also intended to assist in the restoration of architectural monuments that were damaged during the Russian missile attack but as of early February nothing was made public about possible concrete initiatives No other EU country has promised to contribute to the restoration of the Cathedral An exclusive testimony documents a tragedy “Bitter Winter” knows its source and is confident the story is true “Bitter Winter” acquired an interesting document on the relationship between the most prominent Russian anti-cultist and the notorious European anti-cult federation la cui domanda era stata inizialmente respinta ha ottenuto l'asilo a gennaio dopo che il suo nome è apparso nella famigerata lista Da Ai Wang pubblicata in Cina CESNURVia Confienza 1910121 TorinoItalyinfo@bitterwinter.org Copyright © 2025 · Bitter Winter · PRIVACY POLICY· COOKIE POLICY H.E. Larysa Gerasko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Ireland with Artist Varvara Keidan Shavrova and 10 Ukrainian participants Tetiana Kovalova (Kyiv), Svitlana Litmanova (Chmielnickyi), Olha Matso (Kyiv), Anna Mosina (Mariupol), Katerina Naumova (Mariupol), Tetiana Odokiienko (Kharkiv), Tetiana Piontkovska (Kyiv), Liubov Poltavets (Enerhodar), Svetlana Vicheva (Artsyz), Maryna Zaretska (Kyiv) Olha Matso and Tetiana Piontkovska are among a group of 10 Ukrainian women collaborating on a project with the Irish-Russian artist Varvara Keidan Shavrova. The impressive art installation ‘In-flight: on landing’ is running as part of Refugee Week at the Photo Museum in Dublin’s Temple Bar. Olha is a poet, journalist and performance artist from Uzhhorod and Kyiv, and Tetiana is a lecturer in Taras Shevchenko University in Kyiv. The women have been working on the project since March, having met in their shared hotel in Mallow. Olha was drawn to a poster advertising the project, and although it meant travelling to Dublin, invited Tetiana to get involved. Tetiana is in Ireland with her daughter and grandson. Martial law dictates that her husband and son-in-law remain in Ukraine and the separation is painful. She knew little of Ireland before her arrival. It was her daughter’s idea to choose it. She recalls the devastating impact of the war, the absolute shock and horror felt by millions. “Our house turned out to be on the defence line of Kyiv. And already, from the first explosions, we understood it, but the brain refused to believe that this was actually happening to us, in our peaceful Kyiv, in our peaceful Ukraine. “At night, we went out between columns of tanks. We drove a distance of 90 kilometres for eight hours, drove through the forest, during the curfew. It was a year-long day. And on the morning of the next day, we could not return home, because the bridges were blown up and enemy tanks were already standing near Kiev.” Olha speaks less of the war, but describes time spent time in many countries before arriving in Ireland. It was really hard to decide where to go. I was interested in Irish culture. I studied theatre direction in university and studied Irish plays. I am drawn to the Irish sense of humour. When I was studying in 2020 of course I had no idea I’d end up in Ireland. Both women express their disbelief at what has happened. They describe being stuck in a parallel reality, torn between where they physically exist and where their souls belong. They don’t believe it is possible for anyone to imagine it unless they have experienced it themselves. H.E. Larysa Gerasko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Ireland with Artist Varvara Keidan Shavrova and 10 Ukrainian participants in the art project, Tetiana Kovalova (Kyiv), Svitlana Litmanova (Chmielnickyi), Olha Matso (Kyiv), Anna Mosina (Mariupol), Katerina Naumova (Mariupol), Tetiana Odokiienko (Kharkiv), Tetiana Piontkovska (Kyiv), Liubov Poltavets (Enerhodar), Svetlana Vicheva (Artsyz), Maryna Zaretska (Kyiv).THE PROJECT Along with eight others, the two women have created a huge parachute. Prints of their individual artwork and small paintings of sunflowers in traditional Ukrainian style adorn the panels. At the opening of the exhibition next week, the women will perform with the parachute outside the venue, before inviting guests to see their individual pieces inside. The parachute is highly significant as a symbol, Tetiana explains: “Ukrainian women are now like paratroopers who drift in the sky and do not know where the wind will take them.” There is a sense of rescue, but also of being held between two places, between the earth and heaven. Olha adds: “We flew from Ukraine but we are still floating between two worlds, unsettled. It also symbolises the fact that we feel safe here because in reality we have landed, in a way, In Ireland.” The women attended multiple workshops with Irish-Russian artist Varvara Keidan Shavrova, who has many personal ties with Ukraine. At the beginning of the creative process, each woman was asked to choose a photograph that held significance for them. Their work centres on these photographs. Olha Matso.Olha’s piece is a reworking of a photo she took before the war started. “My photo was taken in a special place in the mountains before war started in 2014 in eastern Ukraine. When that photo was taken I didn’t know it would end up being such a fitting symbol.  It reminds me of that magical time but also I am dressed like an angel with a sword so it is a photo of strength, of a woman protecting her country. The work is about my identity. Tetiana’s piece centres on a photo she took of her grandson at a march by Ukrainian people in Cork some months back. “It is a natural photo of him with many Ukrainians with Ukrainian flags. He asked me that day, so innocently, why there were so many people. It is a symbol of the indomitability of Ukraine and the indomitability of the people of Ukraine.” Their work will be on sale at the event to send money home to support their armed forces. “This project helps us to feel like we are together here and hopefully it will also help us integrate into Irish society,” says Olha. Tetiana shares her determination to withstand the war. “Here in Ireland, I have decided not to relax, but to use my forced vacation to good advantage. I will learn English, experience Irish education, and when the war ends, bring this knowledge and experience to Ukraine.” A group of 10 Ukrainian women collaborating on a project with the Irish-Russian artist Varvara Keidan Shavrova. The impressive art installation ‘In-flight: on landing’ is running as part of Refugee Week at the Photo Museum in Dublin’s Temple Bar. MORE ON THE EXHIBITION The list of participants in the exhibition includes: Tetiana Kovalova (Kyiv), Svitlana Litmanova (Chmielnickyi), Olha Matso (Kyiv), Anna Mosina (Mariupol), Katerina Naumova (Mariupol), Tetiana Odokiienko (Kharkiv), Tetiana Piontkovska (Kyiv), Liubov Poltavets (Enerhodar), Svetlana Vicheva (Artsyz), Maryna Zaretska (Kyiv). The artist, participants and Photo Museum Ireland thank: David McGinn and Black Church Print Studio; Rory O’Neill, Anastasiia Kovalchuk, Svitlana Falenda, Oksana Starzhynska at Irish Refugee Council; Ambo Architects. The Exhibition and installation is open to the public for Refugee Week, (June 20-25) at Photo Museum Ireland, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin. Sign up to receive our weekly newsletter to be in with a chance to win prizes and see what's coming up in The Echo Add Echolive.ie to your home screen - easy access to Cork news Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.