"Our country can no longer provide [Ukrainian refugees with] accommodation in such luxurious conditions. For three months we have been delivering unprecedented support in the form of accommodation in some of Bulgaria's best hotels. Now we are moving into a more realistic framework," Petkov was quoted as saying by the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).
On Monday, the Bulgarian government announced wrapping up the programme that provided Ukrainian refugees with accommodation in private seaside hotels to move them to state-funded tourist housing. The same day, a group of Ukrainian refugees relocated from Varna to a different Bulgarian city refused a state-funded accommodation and insisted on staying in a private hotel.
Bulgaria has received nearly 300,000 Ukrainian refugees since Russia's military operation started on 24 February, with over 110,000 of them obtaining a temporary asylum in the country.