Russian attack UN refugee agency: At least 370,000 people fled Ukraine – Interior Minister Mikkonen: Current situation differs from previous refugee crises

Abroad|The Russian attack

UN According to the UNHCR, a total of about 370,000 people have fled the war in Ukraine, according to AFP. According to the refugee organization, the number will increase. The organization plans to deal with up to four million refugees if the situation worsens.

EU home affairs ministers held an informal meeting of home affairs ministers on Sunday in Brussels.

Minister of the Interior Krista Mikkonen At a press conference following the meeting, he said that there was a great deal of support for the introduction of the Temporary Protection Directive. No actual decisions were made at the meeting. A regular Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, where decisions can be taken.

The introduction of the directive would make it possible for Ukrainians to be admitted even if they do not have a passport at all. Identity would be confirmed by national identity papers or other means.

“The united message was that all European countries are ready to help and receive the Ukrainians.”

According to Mikkonen, the current situation is different from previous refugee crises. Although a huge number of Ukrainians have fled the war, there have been few asylum applications. According to Mikkonen, the reason is the large Ukrainian communities. People have sought protection from their friends and relatives.

According to Mikkonen, instead of asylum, Ukrainians have applied for other legal means, such as work-based or family-related permits to stay in European countries.

To Finland there has been little arrival of Ukrainian refugees. People who have already been to Finland have applied for asylum in Finland.

The meeting also highlighted the challenges related to the situation in Ukraine. According to Mikkonen, preparations must be made for hybrid and cyber influencing and disinformation. That is why Mikkonen considers it important that EU countries exchange information closely.

Ukrainians have fled in recent days to neighboring countries where refugee centers have been set up near the borders. According to current data, most Ukrainians appear to have fled to Poland.

According to the Polish border guard, some 156,000 Ukrainians have fled to Poland. The majority, about 90 percent, of those who fled the war have been able to reach their friends and relatives in the neighboring country. About 1.5 million Ukrainians live in Poland.

Nine reception centers have also been set up near the Polish-Ukrainian border.

Also Many Ukrainians have fled to Hungary. About 71,000 refugees have fled to Hungary for security. In the country’s border towns, such as Zahony, buildings have been converted into reception centers.

Thursday since Romania, the border has been crossed by about 47,000 Ukrainians. Much of it has passed through the town of Siret in northern Romania. Nearly half of the refugees have shared their trips to other countries.

Romania is preparing for a large number of refugees. Even before the Russian invasion, it announced that it was preparing for refugees arriving from Ukraine.

On Tuesday, before the Russian invasion, the Romanian defense minister Vasile Dîncu said the country is ready to receive more than half a million refugees.

On Sunday, Dîncu tweeted that all 11 military hospitals in the country’s defense ministry are on standby to treat wounded Ukrainian soldiers.

Also at least 25,000 Ukrainians have fled to neighboring Moldova. A tent village has been erected in the village of Palanca in southern Moldova. In addition, the necessary medical framework has been created for the site. The Prime Minister of Moldova Natalia Gavrilița visited the tent village.

“In these gloomy days for Ukraine, we are in support of the Ukrainians,” Gavrilița tweeted on Saturday.

“Moldova helps those in need to pass through the country and provides shelter.”

Number of refugees vary slightly from different sources, but the direction is similar.

At least 300,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in EU countries, says EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Jansson on Sunday. According to him, it is worth preparing for an even larger number of refugees.

“I am proud of the concrete way in which European citizens at the border show solidarity with the Ukrainians fleeing a creepy, aggressive war,” Jansson told reporters when he arrived at a meeting of EU interior ministers in Brussels.

In several neighboring countries, ordinary people have donated clothes and food to refugees.

German Minister for the Interior Nancy Faeser called for swift action and for bureaucracy to help refugees not fall.

He suggested not asking for Ukrainian visas. Under current regulations, Ukrainians can enter EU countries without a visa for 90 days.

In Ukraine there are also plenty of internally displaced persons. About 160,000 have fled the war to other parts of their homeland.

UNHCR High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi reminded on Twitter on Twitter that the war situation makes it difficult to estimate refugee numbers.