About 50 members of Bulgaria's two main trade unions, the Confederation of Independent Bulgarian Syndicates, and the Podkrepa Labor Confederation, protested Thursday noon before Ukraine's Embassy in Sofia over the terminated supplies of Russian natural gas.

The Chair of the Podkrepa Labor Confederation Dr. Konstantin Trenchev said Ukraine's actions were in violation of the International Energy Convention, which had been ratified by the Ukraine, and had been signed even though not yet ratified by Russia.

"The Convention contains explicit clauses stating that no transit state for energy resources could hinder the transit. Of course, we do not believe the Russians have no blame. Don't think that we won't stage a protest before the Russian Embassy, and before Bulgaria's Council of Ministers, for that matter, if the crisis is not resolved", Trenchev declared.

The protesting syndicates did say that all sides involved - the Russians, the Ukrainians, and the Bulgarian government - were to blame for the gas shortage.

They demanded that Bulgaria's secret contract with Gazprom for gas deliveries be made public.

On Wednesday, the syndicates demanded that the government impose economic and political sanctions on the Ukraine. The Russia-Ukraine gas prices dispute left Bulgaria without Russian natural gas early on January 6 as the supplies destined for the Balkans were cut off at the Ukrainian-Romanian border. On January 7, the dispute led Russia to declare it stopped all supplies for the EU until the conflict was resolved.

Trenchev said Wednesday the protests against the damages that the Bulgarian economy was suffering because of the gas prices had to be directed at the Ukraine. Trenchev vowed to hold the Bulgarian authorities accountable as well.

"The gas dispute hasn't just started but has been going on for years. A number of countries are affected by it now but it turned out that some are ready to face such a problem whereas we turn out to be completely unprepared", he said.

Trenchev also pointed out the government must be held accountable over the availability of gas reserves at the Chiren Storage Facility. In his words, it was now to become clear whether Bulgaria did in fact fulfill EU's requirements for gas reserves, or presented fake data about them.

While Bulgaria's syndicates are out on protest before the Ukrainian Embassy Thursday morning, Ukraine's Ambassador Viktor Kalnik is going to give a press conference on "The Situation with Natural Gas Transits for Europe".

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