site.btaOdesa Deputy Mayor Vugelman: Bombing Odesa Equivalent to Bombing Bulgarian City

Bombing Odesa is equivalent to bombing a Bulgarian city, because a large Bulgarian community lives here, Odesa Deputy Mayor Pavel Vugelman said at the opening of the 19th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media on Wednesday. The theme of this year's edition, organized by Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), is "Media and Community". The forum will be held until June 21, on-site and via online video link. The participants in the Meeting will not only visit Odesa, but also other Ukrainian cities with large Bulgarian communities, Bolhrad and Izmail.

“The Bulgarian community in Odesa plays an important role in city’s activities”, said Vugelman. More than 130 nationalities live side by side in Odesa, he added.

There are over 150,000 Bulgarians in Odesa Province. Between 50,000 and 60,000 of them live in the provincial capital Odesa. The largest compact groups of Bulgarians outside the city of Odesa are in the towns of Bolhrad, Izmail and Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi.

“It is known that there are three branches of power, but we actually know that the fourth power is the mass media. You are the first to get to the scene of events and responsibly report on what is happening”, Vugelman said.

BTA is organizing the 19th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media in Odesa, Bolhrad, and Izmail, Ukraine, from June 18 to June 21, 2024. The event is taking place with the support of Aurubis Bulgaria, A1 Bulgaria, Glavbolgarstroy Holding AD, Euroins Insurance Group, Postbank, SOF Connect, and the 13 Centuries of Bulgaria National Endowment Fund.