Balkan Countries Evacuate Citizens From Ukraine, Assess Security Threats

After mostly condemning Russia's all-out attack on Ukraine, Balkan governments on Thursday said they are working on evacuating their remaining citizens from the embattled country, assessing the security situation and even boosting reserves of food and fuel.

North Macedonia's government on Thursday held a session on evacuation of its citizens from Ukraine. President Stevo Pendarovski also summoned a national security council meeting.

The foreign ministry said it was evacuating the families of the country's diplomats, with only essential diplomats staying in Ukraine. "We are already making plans to evacuate our diplomats but have not reached a decision yet," Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani told media Thursday.

He said 12 citizens had been evacuated so far, and that two more had contacted the North Macedonian embassy for help. About 30 North Macedonian citizens are estimated to rermain in Ukraine.

Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry said it had started the evacuation of its citizens from warn-torn areas, and 102 citizens had applied for help. That number is expected to rise sharply in the next days.

"Priority number one is the evacuation of Bulgarians from Ukraine," PM Kiril Petkov said. President Rumen Radev stated that some 4,000 arrivals were expected.

Bulgaria is also worried about the ethnic Bulgarian minority community in Ukraine. Unofficial sources suggest between 150,000 and 200,000 ethnic Bulgarians live in the country. Most have been living there for over a century.

Trade routes and the supply of gas from Russia are another concern. President Radev on Thursday said: "We are assessing the risks related to the situation with the air and sea routes, as well as the energy supply. We will...