Where did the early Bulgars live before they entered the Balkans?

Before entering the Balkans, the early Bulgars inhabited the European steppe region located north of the Black Sea and west of the Volga River, beginning around 370 CE.123

Following their retreat with the Huns, they resettled around 460 CE in an area north and east of the Sea of Azov. Later, under the leadership of Khan Kubrat, they formed a confederation known as Great Bulgaria, which had the Kuban River as its southern frontier. After the death of Kubrat and the subsequent dispersal of the tribes, the group led by Asparukh moved into Bessarabia—the region situated between the Dniester and Prut rivers—before eventually crossing the Danube to establish the first Bulgarian empire.123