The crews of the two Bulgarian ships stranded in Ukraine have food. It is safer for them to stay put because both ports of Odessa and Mariupol have been mined, Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov wrote on Facebook.

It is unacceptable to make political PR at the expense of people in distress, the prime minister wrote, commenting on the protest of wives of The Tsarevna bulk carrier sailors in Varna. The women demanded an emergency evacuation for their husbands at a press conference organized by an opposition party.

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The government is in constant contact with the two ships and their crews. There are other countries with ships in Ukraine that are also waiting to see if a risk-free withdrawal can be secured.

Evacuating the crew from Mariupol by land is also very dangerous as there is a huge risk of shelling, the Prime Minister added.