Bulgaria

Costa Rica has become the 50th country to join the project of the first lady of Ukraine "Ukrainian bookshelf". The National Library in San Jose will receive about 20 books by various Russian authors in Ukrainian, Spanish and English. This is the first Ukrainian bookshelf in Central America.

Early parliamentary and European elections will start simultaneously in Bulgaria today, where about 13,000 polling stations are open for voting.

Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Klymenko took part in the Balkan-Ukrainian Defense Industry Forum DFNC1 and met with his Bulgarian counterpart Adeline Nikolova to discuss strengthening defense cooperation and Ukraine's defense capability by increasing international support.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar told Arab mediators that Hamas will not lay down its weapons and will not sign the proposal demanding it, insisting on a complete cease-fire in Gaza, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.

Bulgaria will join the investigation of Russian war crimes against prisoners of war and civilians in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine in 2022.

NATO is developing several "land corridors" for the transfer of American troops and armored vehicles to the front line in the event of a major European ground war with russia.

Europol conducted the largest-ever operation against botnets, stopping droppers such as Ice, system BC, Pikabot, Smokeloader and Bumblebee, which led to 4 arrests and dismantling of more than 100 servers around the world.

Bulgaria has no plans to send troops to Ukraine, as confirmed by acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Bulgaria has decided to suspend the activities of two associations accused of inciting ethnic hatred and calling for a change in the constitutional order through social media propaganda and paramilitary training.

Spanish police seized 1. 8 tons of methamphetamine from the Mexican Sinaloa cartel, arresting 5 suspects. Law enforcement officials say this is the largest confiscated batch of the drug.

The European Union plans to provide Ukraine with broad security commitments, including political, military, economic, and reconstruction assistance, by early July, but excluding direct EU military involvement in combat operations against Russia.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal held an online meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Dimitar Glavchev to discuss Ukraine's military needs and Bulgaria's support for Ukraine's integration into the EU and NATO.

The vote on the resignation of Minister of Agrarian Policy Mykola Solsky is expected to take place during the next plenary week. However, agricultural market players have expressed support for Solsky, praising his performance.

In Dnipro, a civic organization of families of fallen Ukrainian soldiers demands that the monument to Soviet military leader Vasily Margelov be dismantled and a monument to the soldiers of the 25th Airborne Brigade who died in the war with Russia be erected.

EU agriculture ministers plan to increase the maximum amount of minimum state aid to €50,000 per farm for three years to support the agricultural sector amid ongoing market turmoil.

The Parliament adopted a law regulating the calculation of pensions for those who worked abroad and establishing rules for the termination of pension payments in certain cases.

A former senior official of the Ministry of Justice who had been granted russian citizenship was dismissed in 2021 after the SBU exposed her, and the court upheld her dismissal despite an appeal.

Lviv has received 10 new low-floor trams as part of a €200 million framework loan from the European Investment Bank to modernize urban public transport in 10 Ukrainian cities.

In Chernivtsi region, a large-scale tax evasion scheme that caused UAH 290 million in losses to the state was uncovered involving a criminal organization that illegally imported goods from Turkey by falsely declaring trucks as empty or disguising goods with a lower customs value.

President Zelenskyy held a meeting to discuss the situation on the frontline, energy issues, and the protection of critical infrastructure, emphasizing the need for greater unity among allies in providing air defense support to Ukraine.

Bulgaria plans to deploy an air defense system on its territory in the context of military assistance to Ukraine.

Acting Bulgarian Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov said that Russian aggression is a direct problem for Bulgaria.

The Second Black Sea Security Conference in Sofia analyzes the impact of Russian aggression on regional security and discusses strategies to counter threats and ensure sustainable development of peace-loving states.

The Second Black Sea Security Conference, co-hosted by Ukraine and Bulgaria on April 15 in Sofia, aims to develop effective strategies to respond to existing challenges and ensure sustainable development for all peace-loving states in the region in the face of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Bulgaria's National Assembly has approved the allocation of 60,000 euros to Ukraine as part of a four-year, 16. 5 million euro program of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, despite opposition from some MPs who wanted the funds to be used for other purposes.

Bulgaria's newly appointed interim defense minister, Atanas Zapryanov, wants to speed up military aid packages to Ukraine, emphasizing the urgent need to strengthen Kyiv's defense capabilities.

More than 2,200 troops and 135 ships, aircraft and vehicles from 12 NATO and partner countries take part in the Sea Shield 24 naval exercise in Romania.

In March 2024, another 130 dolphins died in the Black Sea off the coast of Russia's Krasnodar Territory, likely due to sonar activity by Russian Navy ships, bringing the total number of dolphin deaths due to the war to several thousand.

More than 2,200 military personnel from 12 NATO and partner countries will take part in Exercise Sea Shield 24, which will take place in Romania from April 8-21 and will include maritime and riverine operations in the Black Sea region.

European Council President Charles Michel arrived in Romania for the first time since the country partially joined the Schengen area, a step toward free movement of goods and people.