Where in Europe are Ukrainian refugees fleeing to?
Refugees fleeing Ukraine reunite at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, on Monday. Roderic O’Gorman revealed on Tuesday that 2,200 Ukrainians had arrived in Ireland. Photo: AP/Visar Kryeziu
Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe, which relies heavily on Russian gas, had accepted 82,762 refugees.
The UK has let in 300
The Irish government minister, Roderic O’Gorman, revealed on Tuesday that 2,200 Ukrainians had arrived in the country.
The day after Russia invaded, the Irish government lifted all visa restrictions.
It also instructed airlines to accept Ukrainians who did not have passports but had some other form of ID such as a driving licence or birth certificate.
Ukraine’s close ally, with which it shares a 310-mile border, had received 1,204,403 refugees by Tuesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said.
The government has announced plans to set up an 8bn złoty (€1.6bn) fund for people fleeing Ukraine, including the provision of a one-off payment of 300 złoty (€61) for each refugee.
A country that seven years ago built barbed-wire fences and deployed attack dogs to keep out refugees had allowed 191,348 Ukrainians to enter by Monday, according to the UNHCR.
Local media claim that the prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has softened his longstanding anti-refugee rhetoric ahead of April elections.
Slovakia, another neighbouring country, had taken in 140,745 Ukrainian refugees by Monday, the UNHCR said.
On February 24, the country’s prime minister, Eduard Heger, said: “Slovakia is ready to help every Ukrainian who asks for such help.”
One of the poorest countries in Europe, which relies heavily on Russian gas, had accepted 82,762 refugees from Ukraine by Sunday, the UNHCR said.
The government has expressed concerns about the possibility of being invaded by Russia and is seeking to join the EU.
About 30,000 Ukrainian refugees have so far arrived, with most coming through Poland, according to reports on Monday.
The interior minister, Nancy Faeser, told the weekly Bild am Sonntag that Germany would take refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine no matter what their nationality.
About 2,500 Ukrainians had arrived in France, with some then looking to go on to Spain and Portugal as well as the UK, the interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, said on Sunday.
The British Home Office said on Monday evening that it had granted visas to 300 Ukrainian refugees under its family scheme.
It said 17,700 applications to rejoin relatives were also being examined. A second visa scheme set up for Ukrainians, which involves being sponsored by an organisation or individual, is yet to begin.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ruled out setting up a third humanitarian scheme, which the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, claimed was being explored. The government is under pressure to speed up and simplify the visa process.
At present, applicants must hand over biometric details and fill in complex forms.
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