Poland welcomes 3.66 million refugees from Ukraine: officials

Poland has taken in nearly 3.66 million refugees fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Polish Border Guard agency reported on Saturday.

Locals walk past a building that was damaged during shelling in the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine, 25 May 2022.

EPA/SERGEY KOZLOV

"Since February 24, a total of 3,659,000 people have crossed into Poland from Ukraine," it said in a tweet.

On Friday, around 22,900 refugees from Ukraine arrived in the country, compared with 22,100 a day earlier, according to the Polish Border Guard.

#Pomagamy🇺🇦
Od 24.02 #funkcjonariuszeSG odprawili w przejściach granicznych na kierunku z🇺🇦do🇵🇱3,659 mln os.
Wczoraj tj.27.05➡️ 22,9 tys.
Dziś do godz.07.00➡️
6,6 tys.
W dn.27.05 z🇵🇱do🇺🇦odprawiono 27,2 tys.osób. pic.twitter.com/0sE6sgrJ94

— Straż Graniczna (@Straz_Graniczna) May 28, 2022

While most of those crossing the border are Ukrainian nationals, there are also citizens of many other countries among the refugees, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency has reported, citing the foreign ministry in Warsaw.

Poland is helping those in need, no matter who they are.

Refugees are receiving full support in Poland - no matter what you hear on #FakeNews sites.#PolandFirstToHelp #solidarityWithUkraine #FactsMatter

👉https://t.co/AvQPa1dmb5 pic.twitter.com/cyDsVeF6Ye

— Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland (@PremierRP_en) March 3, 2022

Poland in March enacted a measure to offer wide-ranging support to Ukrainians escaping the Russian invasion of their country, which began on February 24.

The measure grants them residence rights and ensures access to education, healthcare and social benefits.

Nine in 10 Poles are in favour of accepting refugees from war-torn Ukraine, according to a survey.

(jh)

Source: PAP