Sofia, 7 March 2022 (MIA) – More than 38,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Bulgaria fleeing their country after Russia’s invasion, whereas 17,000 have already left the country, said the Bulgarian border police. So far, 100 applications for humanitarian aid have been submitted on the border between Bulgaria and Romania, MIA’s Sofia correspondent reports. Stations were refugees will be initially taken in are being built along the Romania-Bulgaria border. From there they will be transported to shelters and hotels that have agreed to offer refuge. The European Temporary Protection Directive will be in place in a few days, which means that refugees from Ukraine will be granted a temporary residence permit in the EU for at least one year, with the possibility of an extension for an additional two years.