Ethnic Bulgarians from the Ukrainian city of Bolhrad and the region have turned to the Bulgarian state with a call for protection of their rights. This becomes clear from a letter by the "Bulgarian Assembly" civic organization, headed by Valeriy Tverdovski.

The call was triggered by the increasing number of hostile manifestations of local nationalists, such as the recent attack against the municipal councilor in Bolhrad, Vasily Kashch.

The organization urges Sofia to authorize a local Bulgarian to protect the rights of the descendants of those refugees who escaped Turkish brutalities 200 years ago and reached Ukraine. People with Bulgarian self-consciousness outside the motherland expect support, the letter reads.