Warnings of 'continent-wide humanitarian disaster' in wake of invasion

People try to get onto buses to leave Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday. Picture: AP/Emilio Morenatti

Irish humanitarian organisations are warning of a “continent-wide humanitarian disaster”, and say Ireland must immediately begin to prepare for an influx of people displaced by the invasion of Ukraine.

Colm O'Gorman, executive director Of Amnesty International Ireland, said they were launching a “full-scale crisis response”.

“It is frightening to imagine what scale the refugee crisis could reach. It will be a continent-wide humanitarian disaster with millions of refugees seeking protection in neighbouring European countries,” he said.

Brian Killoran, chief executive of the Immigrant Council of Ireland, said the response of Europe must be firmly grounded in “humanitarian values and shared responsibility for offering sanctuary to those who flee violence and aggression”.

“Ireland can play its part at European level by using its considerable influence to ensure that the humanitarian support of the Ukrainian people is to the forefront of international discussions in the coming days and weeks,” he said.

A woman holds her baby inside a bus as they leave Kyiv on Thursday. Picture: AP/Emilio Morenatti

Fiona Finn, chief executive of Nasc, the Migrant and Refugee Rights Centre,said people seem to be “in shock” currently, but they anticipate a surge in calls for assistance in the coming days and weeks. She welcomed the Government's announcement on Thursday morning that all visa requirements for Ukrainians entering Ireland would be waived.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the waiver of visa requirements would be “particularly helpful to Ukrainian families here who may want their loved ones to join them”.

He added there would be a “significant migration issue” arising from the attacks, which Ireland would have to play its part in helping with.

A spokesperson for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth said the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) has identified current Ukrainian residents in IPAS accommodation to provide appropriate support.

Officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs have said they are in direct and ongoing contact with 70 Irish citizens registered as being in Ukraine.

They said they are advising all Irish citizens currently in Ukraine to shelter in a secure place, given the security situation there. However, citizens should consider leaving Ukraine if they judge it safe to do so, depending on their location and prevailing circumstances.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said we “need to make sure” that Irish citizens and their families in Ukraine “can get out if they need to do so”.

However, he said providing assistance would be "complicated" as there is a very small mission on the ground in Kyiv and the ambassador and staff have been moved to a safe place.

Brendan Murphy and his family in Ukraine.

Irish businessman Brendan Murphy spoke to the Irish Examiner from the outskirts of Kyiv on Thursday morning. He said the visa waiver came too late, as he is now stuck in Ukraine with his family.

“When you hear the news that today they ordered the visa waiver, you would feel sick. [Now] it's not safe to go anywhere… if you look at the map of bombing currently, it's every single city in the country,” he said.

He said he gets upset thinking about the fact that if the waiver had come early, his entire family could have flown home to Ireland, and been having a cup of tea at home, within five hours, but now their main focus in the midst of the invasion of Ukraine is to “live long enough to come home”.

Dermot and Dorothy Moynihan made it home from Lviv in Ukraine in the nick of time on Tuesday evening, with their newborn baby Luke.

“It was really all go, it was very dramatic, to get emergency documentation for Luke to be able to leave the country… We hit Irish soil, and even now I feel emotional talking about it, it was just incredible. We were exhausted. We landed and we were crying. Going through that last security gate, when they said welcome home, it was amazing,” said Mr Moynihan.

“We are incredibly lucky. I know there's other parents that are still there. They're the ones we're thinking of today, and the people of Ukraine, our friends in Lviv. It was a massive shock to hear the news that they were attacked overnight, it's terrible,” he said.