At a moment where 40% of the Ukrainian energy system is estimated to have been damaged or destroyed and Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure continue, the Deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, has appealed to Ukrainians currently living abroad not to come home.
Vereshchuk appealed: "I ask you not to come back now; we have to survive the winter. You can see what Russia is doing - everyone sees that. To come back now is to to put yourself at risk: yourself, your children, relatives who may be unwell, the elderly. If you have the opportunity to stay abroad - do so, at least until winter is over."
As of Wednesday, 26 October, Poland had welcomed 7.29 million Ukrainian refugees, according to the Polish Border Guard. (Radio Poland)
Experts estimate that there are currently 2-2.2 million Ukrainians living in Poland, with this number set to increase by a possible 0.5 million as winter approaches. (Professor Duszczyk for Gazeta Prawna)
Sources: wp.pl, Radio Poland, Gazeta Prawna
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