Ukrainian ambassador told State will try not to house refugees in warehouses 

The day after Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address to the Oireachtas, ambassador Larysa Gerasko paid a visit to Cork civic leaders

Ukraine's ambassador to Ireland, Larysa Gerasko, with Lord Mayor of Cork Colm Kelleher, front, and Derry Canty, the chairman of Cork City Council's International Relations Committee, and council CEO Ann Doherty. Picture: Larry Cummins

The Ukrainian Ambassador to Ireland has been told that the State is doing everything possible to avoid housing war refugees in warehouses here.

It comes as the UN General Assembly suspended Russia from its Human Rights Council over allegations of horrific rights violations by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

Her Excellency Larysa Gerasko said she is aware of the accommodation crisis but has been reassured by the government and the Red Cross that every effort will be made to provide “normal conditions of accommodation”.

She also branded her Russian counterpart here, Yuri Filatov, a liar. She said: 

I am sure that he has to be expelled. I urged your government to expel him. Not only him but more Russian diplomats. 

“Ireland expelled just four Russian diplomats and I am sure that is not enough.

“Russia has to be isolated everywhere — in the international forum, trade embargoes, more and tougher sanctions have to be imposed and the Russian ambassador has to leave.

“He is a liar. I am a diplomat but I can say it now — he is a liar. He lied to the people of Ireland in a TV interview and many, many times.

“Russia has to pay for such atrocities and for the thousands of Ukrainian lives lost, for the Bucha massacre, for the atrocities in Mariupol.” 

War refugees at the Kingsley Hotel, Carrigrohane Rd, Cork watching Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy's televised address to the joint sitting of the Oireachtas. Picture: Larry Cummins

The Russian embassy in Dublin did not respond to requests for comment.

Ms Gerasko was speaking in Cork after a briefing from the Lord Mayor, Colm Kelleher, city officials, and key agencies on the city’s community response forum on their efforts to help Ukrainians who have fled the war.

It’s estimated there are at least 1,000 Ukrainians now living in the city and county, with many more expected over the coming weeks.

Mr Kelleher said so far, the city has been able to provide good quality, safe and suitable accommodation for Ukrainians who have arrived here. 

A disused hostel was renovated in recent days to accommodate a group that arrived at the weekend, he said.

The Irish tricolour and the flag of Ukraine flying over Cork City Hall on February 25 as a gesture of solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Picture: Larry Cummins

But a sudden influx could present a “logistical nightmare” and work is ongoing to ensure that people are not housed in warehouses, he said.

“We don’t want to put people into warehouses and to have divides between beds. I hope it doesn’t get to that stage and we are actively working with every hospitality provider to avoid that at all costs,” he said.

He said he has been liaising with hoteliers and that the Cork Airport Hotel has been offered as a potential accommodation centre, and work is ongoing to identify other suitable locations.

“These people have fled atrocities. We are going to do everything as a local authority, as a government, as a nation to try to ensure that adequate and suitable accommodation is provided for them," he said.