Defence Minister: Justice Will Not Prevail if Russia Remains in Possession of Even 1 Sq Km of Ukrainian Territory

UPDATED Defence Minister: Justice Will Not Prevail if Russia Remains in Possession of Even 1 Sq Km of Ukrainian Territory

Defence Minister Todor Tagarev (BTA Photo)

Sofia,

15.11.2023 11:00 | UPDATED 15.11.2023 11:40

(BTA)

Justice will not prevail if Russia remains in possession of even one square kilometre of Ukrainian territory and does not take responsibility for the destruction caused and the war crimes committed, Defence Minister Todor Tagarev said as Parliament is debating a motion of no-confidence in the government over its policy in defence and national security. His statement focused on Bulgarian's support for Ukraine and why it is in keeping with this country's strategic interest.

"By defending itself, Ukraine is defending Europe against the Kremlin. If Ukraine loses, be prepared to at least double the resources Bulgaria needs for defence," Tagarev said.

He added that at the time the Russian invasion began, the Bulgarian community in Ukraine was estimated to number about 230,000. Most of them live in Odesa, Izmail and other areas of southern Ukraine which are targeted by constant drone strikes, he added.

Tagarev said: "Many ethnic Bulgarians joined Ukraine's armed forces, some of them died for their homeland. I remember how in the first days of the military aggression, the entire leadership of the Bulgarian Socialist Party called on us to help ethnic Bulgarians [in Ukraine]. That is exactly what we are doing. But the situation is even worse for the Taurian Bulgarians who live in Zaporizhzhya region and closer to the Sea of Azov. Before the large-scale aggression they numbered some 37,000 and after the Russian invasion about half of them have fled the temporarily occupied territories and 15% are now refugees in other countries. Russians from Russia and Central Asia have moved in the abandoned apartments and houses. The local Bulgarian population have had their land and produce confiscated. The Bulgarian schools in the occupied settlements have been closed and the Russian authorities have re-registered them as Russian schools, with teaching in Russian. The Ukrainian-Bulgarian Lyceum is closed and converted into a Russian educational institution. The Russian military forcibly enrolled Taurian Bulgarians in Russian schools and subject them to indoctrination. The Russian authorities have closed Bulgarian community centers and societies and stationed Russian soldiers in them. Only Russian cameramen work on the Internet, television is only in Russian. Bulgarian-language broadcasts have been shut down".

He argued that even if Ukraine wins the war soon, it will be hard for the community of ethnic Bulgarians there to recover. "This is impacting directly the Bulgarian national interest. That is why supporting Ukraine is our national strategic interest. We have a commitment and responsibility to the Bulgarian community in Ukraine to [help them] live in a free, peaceful and democratic country. Peace can only be restored when Putin's authoritarian regime is defeated. It is with this understanding that Bulgaria has joined the common Allied policies to provide military assistance to Ukraine, and we do so in accordance with their stated needs, your decisions [in Parliament], and in keeping with the standards for maintaining the stocks of arms and ammunition for the needs of the Bulgarian Armed Forces," Tagarev said.

In conclusion, he said that this no-confidence motion does not reflect reality and urged Parliament to vote against it.

Vazrazhdane inflamed over Taurian Bulgarians

The Minister's words about Taurian Bulgarians inflamed the nationalist Vazrazhdane party. They said Tagarev was lying, called him "a Ukrainian servant" and urged him to step down. They promised to show "video evidence of how Bulgarians in Ukraine were forcibly mobilized".

Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov said: "There are 20,000 Ukrainians in Bulgaria at the moment, who are fit to military service. Instead of sending them back home in Ukraine, our government, who claims to be very concerned about Ukraine, has put them up in Bulgarian hotels as they drive their refugee SUVs."

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