site.btaFour Million-Plus Ukrainians Still Live Abroad, Ambassador Ilashchuk Says

"More than four million Ukrainians continue to live outside Ukraine," Ukraine's Ambassador in Sofia Olesya Ilashchuk said here on Monday. She was addressing a forum on "Ukrainian Refugees in Bulgaria: Countering Disinformation and Strengthening Social Cohesion", held at the Central Military Club in the capital city.

The conference was organized by The Atlantic Club of Bulgaria in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Embassy of Ukraine in Sofia.

The Ambassador said that more than six million Ukrainians have returned to their homeland after leaving at the start of the war in 2022. Those remaining abroad are people who have nowhere to return to or fear for their lives if they go back, she added.

Ilashchuk singled out disinformation and fake news as the most serious challenges facing Ukrainians abroad, saying they seek to divide societies, undermine trust, and pit people against one another. "Unfortunately, we are witnessing an increase in anti-Ukrainian information attacks, as well as cases of hate speech directed against Ukrainians," she said.

The diplomat stressed that four years after the start of the war, Ukrainians are still unable to fully cope with its psychological effects and should not be targeted by disinformation, manipulation and slander.

Ilashchuk sees a need to build a strong front for protecting Ukrainian refugees' human dignity. "The attacks against them are orchestrated from one place and by one State with imperial ambitions," she said, adding that such efforts seek to tarnish Ukraine's image, undermine trust and weaken the unity of Europe as a whole. "Such attempts will not succeed," the Ambassador stated.

She said that only unity and joint efforts would protect democracy and strengthen solidarity.

The speaker said further that the Ukrainian Government is launching serious preparations for a programme intended to encourage Ukrainians to return home. "Many are waiting for the war to end, which is why special programmes are needed to support them in rebuilding their everyday life in Ukraine," she said.

"A large number of Ukrainians in Bulgaria actively participate in this country's social and economic life by paying taxes, creating jobs and sharing experience and knowledge," Ilashchuk noted. She thanked the Bulgarian people, institutions, local authorities, non-governmental organizations, media, volunteers and all citizens who have stood by Ukraine since February 24, 2022.

Attending the forum were The Atlantic Club of Bulgaria President Solomon Passy, The Atlantic Club of Bulgaria Vice President Elena Poptodorova, and PanEuropa Bulgaria President Gergana Passy, as well as ambassadors of European countries.