Russian citizens seeking political asylum in Bulgaria protested in the coastal city of Burgas. They gathered in front of the Alyosha monument. Director Oksana Gruskova and actress Elena Sanina were among the protesters. They told BGNES that they did not want to be a tool in Putin's propaganda and that they could not exercise their professions freely in Russia. 

The court in Burgas has rejected their asylum claims on the grounds that there is no evidence that they were subject to repression because of their political convictions. They will appeal the decision before the Supreme Court. The protest was supported by female Ukrainian refugees who found asylum in Bulgaria.