Bulgaria

Russia's maritime oil exports fell to 3. 06 million barrels per day due to terminal repairs and sanctions pressure. Two-thirds of Russia's “shadow fleet” tankers are idle at ports due to tighter Western sanctions.

Peter Szijjarto vetoed the inclusion of Patriarch Kirill in the EU sanctions list. The Hungarian minister also blocked the disbursement of 6.5 billion euros from the European Peace Fund.

Hungary and Bulgaria have agreed on a new solution to pay for Russian gas through Gazprombank, despite US sanctions. Peter Szijjarto said that a legal solution had been found that is not subject to restrictions.

The EU Council has decided to abolish controls at the land borders with Bulgaria and Romania as of January 1, 2025. The countries have already been part of the Schengen area by air and sea since March 2024.

There are 27226 foreign students enrolled in Ukrainian universities, most of them from China - 10735 people. The most popular specialty among foreigners is medicine, and most students study at KNUTD.

Bulgarian lawmakers plan to set up a commission to investigate Russian influence in the country. A network of 51 companies in Plovdiv has been identified that generate hundreds of millions of impressions of pro-Russian content in social networks every day.

Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Ihor Zhovkva announced the signing of a new security agreement. Ukraine already has 27 such documents that provide military assistance and funding for 2024 and beyond.

Austria lifted its veto on the full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area. The decision was made after a significant reduction in illegal border crossings from 70,000 to 4,000 cases.

The EU is in talks with the United States to ease sanctions against Gazprombank over the risks of gas supplies to Europe. Putin canceled the requirement to pay through this bank, but the issue of payments remains complex.

Georgian Ambassador to the Czech Republic Tem Maisuradze announced her resignation due to the government's decision to suspend the EU accession process. Earlier, the ambassadors to Bulgaria, Italy, the Netherlands and the United States announced their resignations.

SOCAR has started supplying gas to the Slovak state energy supplier SPP since December 1, 2024. This is a pilot short-term contract with the prospect of a long-term partnership.

Georgia's ambassadors to several EU and US countries are resigning due to the government's decision to suspend the EU accession process until 2028. Among those who resigned are ambassadors to Bulgaria, Italy, the Netherlands and the United States.

Three Bulgarians are accused of spying for Russia over surveillance of a US base where the Ukrainian military trained. The group also planned to spy on investigative journalists and organize provocations.

The Embassy of Ukraine in Bulgaria presented a certificate of honor and a medal to Delian Peevski, who is under US and British sanctions. The award caused outrage in Bulgarian society.

Hungarian Foreign Minister calls US sanctions against Gazprombank an attempt on the country's sovereignty. Hungary is discussing the situation with Turkey, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria and Serbia over the threat to energy security.

Over 47 million foreign tourists visited Turkey in the first 10 months of 2024, up 7. 03% year-on-year. Istanbul was the most popular city with 15.8 million visitors.

Romania and Bulgaria will join the Schengen area by land in January 2025. This will allow the countries to avoid multibillion-dollar economic losses and increase their growth rates.

The third attempt to elect the speaker of the 51st National Assembly of Bulgaria failed due to the lack of a majority. Without a speaker, the parliament cannot function, which increases the risk of early elections.

A former fiscal service employee created a network of fictitious companies to export grain without paying taxes. In 2024, more than 110 thousand tons of products worth UAH 1.055 billion were exported through the scheme.

At the international competition in Sofia, Ukrainians won two silver medals in junior categories and a bronze in adult ice dancing. Overall, the athletes scored between 135 and 185 points in different disciplines.

150 Moldovan citizens were transported from Russia via Istanbul free of charge to participate in the second round of elections. The transportation was carried out by plane and bus through Turkey and Bulgaria.

Boyko Borissov's conservative GERB party won 26. 3% of the vote in the Bulgarian parliamentary elections. The Continuum Chimbarea-Democratic Bulgaria is in second place with 14.79% of the vote.

The center-right GERB party received 26. 4% of the vote in the Bulgarian parliamentary elections. To form a government, the party needs a coalition partner amid political instability.

Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Ihor Zhovkva held the first round of talks with Bulgaria on a security agreement. The parties agreed on key provisions and a schedule for further negotiations to finalize the document as soon as possible.

The conference in Helsinki discussed the environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine. Yermak called for united efforts to overcome environmental challenges and develop mechanisms of responsibility for the damage caused.

Archaeology is of particular importance for studying eras when there was no writing at all, or the history of those peoples who did not have writing in later historical times.

The SBI has completed an investigation into the purchase of low-quality bulletproof vests worth UAH 1. 7 billion. The former Deputy Minister of Defense and other officials face up to 15 years in prison for embezzlement and obstruction of the Armed Forces.

The President of Ukraine will take part in the summit in Dubrovnik on October 9. The purpose of the meeting is to express the solidarity of Southeast European countries with Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression.

The Romanian Minister of Agriculture announced his intention to restrict imports of eggs and poultry meat from Ukraine. Romania supported Bulgaria's proposal to ban imports of Ukrainian eggs due to the negative impact on local producers.

The Pentagon has allocated $6. 9 billion to Boeing for the production of small-diameter bombs. The weapons will be delivered to Ukraine, Japan, and Bulgaria by the end of 2035.