Eight prominent Ruse artists and creative teams working in the fields of art, culture, education and science were awarded the "Ruse" and "Young Artist" Awards, which the Ruse Municipality awards annually on the occasion of May 24 - the Day of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture and Slavic Literature.

The solemn ceremony took place this evening in the Profit Building. The awards were presented by the Mayor of Ruse Municipality Pencho Milkov, who welcomed those present with the upcoming holiday of May 24. He also addressed the awardees, to whom he said that the award is a recognition of their work, courage and aspiration for development. “We thank you for your effort, talent and dedication, never stopping believing in the power of knowledge, culture, art and science. Continue to create, seek new horizons and transform Ruse into an even more spiritual and inspiring place. May the flame within you never go out and may you continue to be an example, inspiration and pride for our city!”, said Milkov.

In the “Education and Science” area, an individual award was presented to Ekaterina Ivanova, director of the “Snezhanka” Kindergarten, for achievements in preschool, primary and elementary education. The recognition for achievements in high school and higher education went to Prof. Dr. Eng. Petar Dimitrov. The collective award in this area was awarded to the teaching team of the “Iosif Vondrak” Vocational High School of Woodworking and Interior Architecture.

In the field of "Art and Culture" in the performing arts section, an individual award was given to Yasena Gospodinova, an actress at the "Sava Ognyanov" Drama Theater. The "Harmony" Dance Ensemble at the "Angel Kanchev" University of Ruse is the winner of the collective award. In the field of visual arts, the individual award was given to the artist Kancho Kanev. The award for outstanding contribution to art and culture was awarded to choreographer Alexander Smikovchuk.

The prominent individuals and collectives who, with their professionalism, talent and dedication, contribute to the development of education, science, art and culture in the city were awarded by the mayor with a bronze statuette based on an original project by the sculptor Georgi Radulov and an honorary diploma.

The "Young Artist" 2025 award in the name of Yana and Georgi Stefanovi this year went to Nikola Zhelyazkov, a student at the "Prof. Vesselin Stoyanov" National School of Arts. He received a cash prize and a medal, provided by the Stefanovi family. “Because of this award, I now have to work harder and glorify our city in all possible ways,” Nikola said upon receiving the prize.

The ceremony was attended by one of the heirs of the Botev family - Boyan Botyov, who is the great-grandson of General Kiril Botyov, brother of Hristo Botev. Boyan Botyov is also the chairman of the Hristo Botyov All-People’s Foundation. He awarded Pencho Milkov with an honorary plaque and a diploma for his contribution to the promotion of the spiritual values ​​related to the ideas, life and work of Hristo Botev. The mayor thanked for the recognition and said that he accepted the award on behalf of all the people of Ruse, because our city deserves this distinction.

The host of the ceremony was Radinela Toteva. The honorees and those present in the hall were congratulated on the holiday with performances by the children's ensemble of the Naiden Kirov Folk Dance Theater, graduates of the Professor Vesselin Stoyanov National School of Arts, the Impulse dance studio at the Municipal Youth Center, the Freedom dance studio with artistic directors Anita Asenova and Alex Asenov, and the Danube Waves choir from the Municipal Children's Center for Culture and Art with conductor Vessela Todorova. The ceremony ended with the school anthem "Go, Reborn People" performed by all those present.

The identification of the next social site for gasification in the territory of the Ruse Municipality was the main topic of the working meeting held today between Mayor Pencho Milkov and Eng. Stoyan Manolov, Manager of the energy company "M-Gas". During the talks, an agreement was reached that this would be the "Spring" Kindergarten in the village of Chervena Voda. The upcoming activities are within the framework of the joint project for hybrid gasification with the State Oil and Gas Company of Azerbaijan SOCAR. "M-Gas"'s investment in the gasification of the kindergarten will amount to 50,000 leva. The site was chosen because of the significant savings that the Ruse Municipality will realize from replacing the existing heating system with an environmentally friendly and efficient gas heating.

"I am extremely pleased with the progress of our joint project with "M-Gas" and SOCAR. The gasification of the Prolet Kindergarten is another important step towards improving the energy efficiency of our municipal facilities and ensuring a better environment for our children,” said Mayor Pencho Milkov. For his part, Eng. Stoyan Manolov emphasized the company’s commitment to the sustainable development of the Municipality of Ruse and the readiness to implement the next stages of the gasification program.

We recall that the project for hybrid gasification of municipal buildings was successfully launched with the gasification of the St. Cyril and Methodius Primary School in the village of Nikolovo. Thanks to the partnership between the Municipality of Ruse, M-Gas and SOCAR, the school is now heated in a modern and energy-efficient way. The initiative aims to improve energy efficiency, reduce harmful emissions and optimize heating costs for schools, childcare and healthcare facilities.

‎"M-Gaz" intends to carry out a full survey with the aim of modernizing the energy systems of municipal social facilities - schools, kindergartens, community centers, health centers and others in the villages of Nikolovo, Chervena Voda, Novo Selo, Tetovo, Dolno Ablanovo, Hotantsa and Sandrovo. This includes replacing the existing heating installations, which run on wood and coal, with the ecological fuel natural gas.‎

The talks were attended by Deputy Mayor Encho Enchev and Municipal Councilor Iskren Veselinov, who after the meeting visited the children's institution in the village of Chervena Voda. In the presence of the mayor of the settlement Vladimir Dimitrov and the director of the Kindergarten "Prolet" Stanislava Doncheva, they inspected the building and the existing heating installation.

The Employment Agency reminds that the free digital training program, implemented within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, offers not only an opportunity for individual development, but also an effective tool in the hands of employers.

Employers from different sectors can encourage their teams to participate in the training, structured according to the European Digital Competence Framework (DigComp), at basic and intermediate levels (levels 1–4). In addition to practical value for daily work, the acquired skills contribute to the overall improvement of the digital culture in the company.

The training is carried out through an electronic voucher system, with participants having the opportunity to choose a training organization, preferred schedule and form of training. Registration is carried out online through the Employment Agency website.

The initiative is part of the broader vision of modernizing the workforce and creating sustainable employment in the digital age. Additional information about the program, types of training and conditions for participation is published on the Employment Agency website, as well as in all Labor Offices in the country.

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On the occasion of International Children's Day - June 1 (Sunday), Puppet Theater - Ruse will delight its young viewers with 2 free performances of "Masha and the Bear", which will take place from 11:00 and 12:30 on the theater stage.

The tradition with which the theater celebrates this beloved holiday continues this year - all children will be able to watch the performance for free, and companions (up to two per child) must purchase a ticket for themselves. This condition was introduced in view of the capacity of the hall and the comfort of all viewers.

Seats for the holiday day will be distributed only at the theater box office, and parents are recommended to purchase tickets in advance - experience from previous years shows that the hall fills up quickly.

With a lot of humor, love and stage magic, "Masha and the Bear" promises true joy for children and a cheerful start to summer adventures. Puppet Theater - Ruse invites all young and old theater fans to celebrate June 1st together with a smile.

From May 15 to 18, the World Table Tennis Cup WTT Youth Contender 2025 was held in the city of Panagyurishte, which brought together over 150 competitors from 40 countries. The Ruse participation was worthily represented by Anita Petkova, Vladimir Raykov and Stelan Lavchiev - competitors of the "Dunav Ruse" Table Tennis Sports Club and graduates of the "Major Atanas Uzunov" Sports School.

Anita Petkova, part of the Bulgarian national team under 19, took part in the under 17 and under 19 categories for girls, as well as in the mixed doubles tournament. In the under 17 girls, she passed the group stage without a hitch and in the main draw recorded a victory over the strong Romanian Andreea Baiasu. In the battle for a place in the eight, Petkova lost to the representative of Korea Kim Eunseo.

In the under 19 category, Anita was one step away from two prestigious victories. Against the current European doubles champion Bianca Mei-Rosu from Romania, the player from Ruse showed character, led in the games, but lost after a reversal. In her second match against Shriya Anand from India, Anita led 2:0 in the game, but after a contested game, she allowed a reversal and lost 2:3.

In mixed doubles, Anita partnered with Stefan Dimitrov. The two were eliminated in the main draw after losing to the Ukrainian tandem.

Vladimir Raykov participated in the U-13 and U-15 categories. In the U-13 category, he managed to pass the group stage with better game indicators. In the main draw, the draw assigned a Ruse derby against his teammate Stelan Lavchiev. Raykov won dramatically with 3:2, but then lost to Filip Nagy (Slovakia). In the U-15 category, he failed to overcome the group stage, despite his efforts against rivals from Chinese Taipei and Slovakia.

Stellan Lavchiev participated in the under-11 and under-13 categories. In the latter, he was in a group with the leader in the rankings Koh Wei Yeow (Malaysia) and a player from Kazakhstan, whom he defeated, but lost to Raykov. In the under-11 category, Lavchiev showed a high level and reached the quarterfinals. After three wins in the group and a loss to the Ukrainian David Drobov, who later became second, Stellan was stopped by the future champion Mark Voronoi (Ukraine).

Participation in the prestigious tournament was an important stage in Anita Petkova's preparation for the upcoming European Championship, as well as a valuable "clock check" for the young Ruse table tennis hopefuls.