European countries rally to help Ukrainian refugees

By Omer Faruk Yildiz

GENEVA (AA) - European countries are rallying to help Ukrainian refugees uprooted due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

State bodies, non-governmental organizations, and ordinary people are working together in most countries to provide facilities for the refugees, whose numbers exceed 3.8 million, according to the UN.

Poland, which has received around 2.2 million refugees, offers them work and residence permits for up to 18 months, as well as cash aid.

In the Czech Republic, where about 300,000 Ukrainians have arrived, authorities have issued special visas that give the refugees certain rights, including work, education, and health care.

Hungary has provided a monthly allowance for employers that hire Ukrainian refugees, of which roughly 350,000 have arrived in the country so far. Romania, where 586,000 Ukrainians have sought refuge, has offered them nine-month working permits.

Hosting 260,000 Ukrainian refugees, Germany has offered them free public transportation, residence permits without investigation, and access to health care.

The UK, for its part, is dispensing cash aid to households willing to accommodate the refugees, whose present number stands at around 12,000.

France, furthermore, has allocated an extra €400 million (about $440,000) to host more refugees from Ukraine.

In Spain, the 25,000 Ukrainian refugees that have arrived so far have access to social security benefits.

Russia’s war on Ukraine has been met with international outrage, with the European Union, US, and the UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,151 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 1,842 injured, according to estimates by the UN, which cautioned that the true figure is likely far higher.

More than 3.87 million Ukrainians have also fled to neighboring countries, with millions more displaced inside the country, according to the UN refugee agency.

* Writing by Ahmet Gencturk in Ankara