The EU will accept Ukrainian refugees without asking them to apply for asylum first, it was announced tonight, as hundreds of thousands of terrified citizens continue to flee their homes amid the ongoing Russian invasion.
The decision was reached unanimously among all members of the 27-nation bloc on Sunday after a meeting of interior ministers.
The open door policy will remain in place for up to three years in an effort to tackle what is rapidly becoming Europe’s worst humanitarian crisis in decades.
This comes as nearly 370,000 frightened Ukrainians have already fled Vladimir Putin’s forces in neighboring countries, with queues on the border with Poland stretching for more than eight miles.
But Britain has not yet pledged to welcome such refugees unconditionally, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson currently allowing only those with stranded families who already live in the country to enter.
This means that dozens of desperate Ukrainians who have no connection to the United Kingdom will still be denied asylum in Britain. When Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was told this morning, she was asked if the policy would change.
She said: “We are urgently looking for what we can do. We are working with European partners on how to support refugees leaving Ukraine. So, yes, that’s the answer. ‘
This comes as crowded masses of Ukrainian women and children fleeing Russian bombs today traveled by train, car and ferry from cities, including Lviv in the country west to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania.
Loved ones were torn apart in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II as women said goodbye to their husbands after Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky ordered men aged 18-60 to stay and fight the Kremlin.
The families traveled to Vyshne Nemeke in Slovakia, while the queue of vehicles on the Polish-Ukrainian border stretched for 8.7 miles and those fleeing had to endure a long wait in sub-zero temperatures at night. More than 100,000 people have moved to Poland alone, according to Polish officials.
Against the backdrop of rushing to escape the bombs and tanks, there was also what seemed like a trickle of brave men and women who wanted to go home to defend Ukraine or help others do so. At a border crossing in southern Poland, journalists from the Associated Press spoke with people in line against the tide. They included a group of about 20 Ukrainian truck drivers who wanted to face a fight.
Refugees from Ukraine arrive to the railway station in Przemysl, Poland, Sunday, February 27, 2022
People coming from Ukraine descend from a ferry boat to enter Romania after crossing the Danube river at the Isaccea-Orlivka border crossing between Romania and Ukraine on February 26, 2022
Ukrainian refugees arrive at Zahonyi railway station close to the Hungarian-Ukrainian border on February 27, 2022
Refugees from Ukraine sit in a bus near the Korczowa border crossing, Poland, Sunday, February 27, 2022
Refugees make their way through snow blizzard, at the Medyka border crossing, in Poland, February 27, 2022
A couple embrace prior to the woman boarding a train carriage leaving for western Ukraine, at the railway station in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, February 27, 2022
Huddled masses of Ukrainian women and children escaping Russian bombs rode trains, cars and ferries from cities including Lviv in the country’s west to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania
Refugees from Ukraine arrive to the railway station in Przemysl, Poland, February 27, 2022
Refugees from Ukraine arrive to the railway station in Przemysl, Poland, February 27, 2022
Astonishing videos show a vast exodus at the city’s railway station as Ukrainian civilians race to neighbouring countries to escape Vladimir Putin’s forces
Huddled crowds of devastated Ukrainian women and children fleeing the Russian invasion last night rode trains from Lviv in the country’s west to NATO ally Poland
A Slovak soldier carries a baby in car seat as people fleeing Ukraine arrive to Slovakia, at border crossing in Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia, February 27, 2022
A woman checks clothes from volunteers aid as people fleeing Ukraine arrive to Slovakia, at border crossing in Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia, February 27, 2022
Ukrainians arrive at Zahonyi railway station close to the Hungarian-Ukrainian border on February 27, 2022
Photographs from the Ukrainian-Slovak border at the Velke Slemence border crossing, February 27, 2022
Two refugee African students comfort each-other after they manage to pass the Romanian-Ukrainian border crossing point in Siret, northern Romania, February 27, 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that his country is ready for peace talks with Russia, but not in Belarus, which has been the site of Moscow’s invasion.
Putin is ‘prepared to lose 50,000 troops’ intelligence chiefs claim as leaked document reveals Moscow is bracing for ‘medical emergency’ from Ukraine invasion
Vladimir Putin is “prepared to lose 50,000 troops in the invasion of Ukraine, as a leaked document from the Russian Ministry of Health reveals that Moscow is preparing for” emergency medical care.
Intelligence chiefs are believed to be ready to lose up to 50,000 troops, while the death toll in Russia could now be around 3,000.
There are fears that Putin will order military commanders to use “chemical weapons” and “attack hospitals” as fighting continues in Ukraine, with Kyiv remaining under Ukrainian control.
Weapons expert Hamish de Breton-Gordon told The Mirror: “If Russia sinks, I will not be surprised if they use chemical weapons.”
It comes as a document signed by Deputy Health Minister Plutnicki, urging medical companies to “get involved in saving lives and protecting people’s health in Russia in a timely manner.”
Russian medical companies have been ordered to send a list of details of medical professionals and workers to the Ministry of Health so that civilian personnel can be deployed, according to documents received from ITV News.
Emma Burroughs, ITV’s news editor, said documents dated February 25 showed that Russia was expecting a “massive health emergency”.
The Ministry of Health is specifically looking for doctors who specialize in trauma, maxillofacial and cardiac activities, as well as nurses, pediatricians, anesthesiologists and radiologists.
The number of Ukrainian refugees who have reached neighboring countries has risen to 368,000, the UN refugee agency said. This figure more than doubles the agency’s estimate from the previous day.
European leaders are preparing to deport up to 4 million after at least 300,000 refugees entered the EU on Thursday.
EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ilva Johansson said on Sunday: “I am proud of how European citizens at the borders are showing concrete solidarity with Ukrainians fleeing this terrible, aggressive war.” She said she would announce a solidarity platform at a special meeting of EU interior ministers in Brussels to support Ukrainians fleeing their country and countries most affected by arriving refugees.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss insisted the government was “urgent” to do more to help Ukrainians, but declined to say how many refugees the UK would accept.
On Saturday, a woman was “killed in a clash on the Polish border” while people waited in line for 25 hours to escape bombs in the besieged country.
A Briton in chaos with his Ukrainian girlfriend called the scene an “absolute disgrace”, adding: “There was a very small organization and the closer you got to the front, the more people pushed and pushed.
“Everyone will have these big jumps so often and people will scream. He had very young children and he felt very dangerous. Terrifying. Fighting broke out when people accused others of pressuring or hurting them. There was blood on their faces. We saw several women fainted and carried over the crowd.
“And there was a strong rumor that someone had been crushed to death – Polish border guards confirmed that they had heard that it was true.
“It was very dangerous.” I have bruises from the whole push and I’m just happy that we finally managed to get to Poland. ‘
Some Ukrainians traveled many miles at night, while others fled by train, car or bus, forming miles of long queues at border crossings. They were greeted by waiting relatives and friends or headed alone to reception centers organized by neighboring governments.
That comes when Putin ordered Russia’s nuclear deterrent forces to be on high alert on Sunday amid tensions with the West over its invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking at a meeting with senior officials, the Russian president said NATO’s leading forces had made “aggressive statements” along with the West, imposing severe financial sanctions on Russia, including the president himself.
He ordered the Russian Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff of the Army to place the nuclear deterrent forces in a “special combat duty regime”.
“Western countries are not just taking hostile action against our country in the economic sphere, but senior officials from leading NATO members have made aggressive statements about our country,” Putin said in television comments.
His order raised the threat that tensions with the West over the invasion of Ukraine could lead to the use of nuclear weapons.
This week, the Russian leader threatened to retaliate harshly against all nations that intervene directly in the conflict in Ukraine.
Former Estonian Defense Chief Riho Terras has said Putin’s war will not be planned because Russia is running out of money and weapons quickly and will have to start talks with Vladimir Zelensky’s government if Kyiv detains the Russians for 10 days.
The Russian president is said to have convened a meeting with the oligarchs in a bunker in the Urals, in which he said he vehemently said he thought the war would be “easy” and “everything will be done in one to four days”.
Citing Ukrainian intelligence sources, Terras said the war cost Russia about £ 15 billion a day and that they had missiles for a maximum of three to four days, which they used sparingly.
Street fighting erupted in Ukraine’s second-largest city, with Russian troops squeezing strategic ports in the south on Sunday, progress that appears to mark a new phase in Russia’s invasion following a wave of attacks on airports and fuel facilities elsewhere.
Kyiv was ominously quiet after huge explosions lit up the morning sky and authorities reported explosions at one of the airports. Only occasionally did a car appear on a deserted main boulevard, as a strict 39-hour curfew prevented people from taking to the streets. Instead, terrified residents huddled in homes, underground garages and subway stations in anticipation of a full-scale Russian attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Last night was difficult – more shelling, more bombing of residential areas and civilian infrastructure.
People coming from Ukraine descend from a ferry boat to enter Romania after crossing the Danube river at the Isaccea-Orlivka border crossing between Romania and Ukraine on February 26, 2022
Ukrainian refugees arrive at Zahonyi railway station close to the Hungarian-Ukrainian border on February 27, 2022
People leaving Ukraine and heading over the border into Poland on February 27, 2022
People leaving Ukraine and heading over the border into Poland on February 27, 2022
People leaving Ukraine and crossing the border into neighbouring Poland on February 27, 2022
Refugees from Ukraine arrive to the railway station in Przemysl, Poland, February 27, 2022
A woman observes volunteers aid as people fleeing Ukraine arrive to Slovakia, at border crossing in Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia, February 27, 2022
A boy sleeps on the table as people fleeing Ukraine arrive to Slovakia, at border crossing in Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia
Hundreds of Ukrainians are seen desperately trying to flee to Poland from Lviv railway station
Some Ukrainians have traveled many miles at night, while others have escaped by train, car or bus, forming long miles of queues at border crossings.
West agrees to REMOVE Russian banks from Swift payments system: UK, EU, the US and allies take ‘financial nuclear option’ as they set up task force to go after oligarchs and strip them of ‘yachts, money and ability to send kids to Western schools’
Russia has been cut short by a crucial global banking system as efforts to hurt its economy if it invades Ukraine have intensified.
In a coordinated move, Britain, the United States, Canada and the European Union have announced that selected Russian banks will be excluded from the global Swift payment system.
At the same time, they said the imposition of “restrictive measures” to prevent Russia’s central bank from deploying its international reserves “in ways that undermine the impact of our sanctions”.
After a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, Mr Johnson said the West should do everything possible to change the “very difficult chances” against Ukraine in its fight against Moscow’s forces.
He confirmed that Britain would send additional weapons to Ukrainians and said financial measures were essential to put pressure on the Kremlin.
“This is extremely important for tightening the economic bond around the Putin regime,” he said during a visit to RAF Brize Norton.
Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that he was withdrawing from his country’s resistance to take action to remove a major obstacle to an international agreement.
“The horror of what is happening in Ukraine is becoming clear to Western audiences, and this in turn is putting enormous pressure on Western politicians,” Mr Johnson said.
“There is not a single facility in the country that the occupiers do not consider acceptable targets.”
After its conquests to the east in the city of Kharkiv and numerous ports, Russia has sent a delegation to Belarus for peace talks with Ukraine, according to the Kremlin. Zelenski suggested other places, saying his country did not want to meet in Belarus, as it had served as a base for the invasion.
Until Sunday, Russian troops remained on the outskirts of Kharkov, a city of 1.4 million about 12.4 miles south of Russia’s border, while other forces crossed to push the offensive deeper into Ukraine.
Videos published in Ukrainian media and social networks show Russian vehicles moving through Kharkiv and Russian troops circling the city in small groups. One showed Ukrainian soldiers firing on the Russians and damaging Russian light vehicles abandoned nearby.
The images underscore the resolute resistance faced by Russian troops as they try to enter Ukraine’s larger cities. Ukrainians have volunteered en masse to help defend the capital, Kyiv and other cities, taking weapons proliferated by the authorities and preparing incendiary bombs to fight Russian forces.
The Ukrainian government is also releasing prisoners with military experience who want to fight for the country, prosecutor Andriy Sinyuk told Hromadske television on Sunday. He did not specify whether the move applies to prisoners convicted of all levels of crime.
Putin has not revealed his final plans, but Western officials say he is determined to overthrow Ukraine’s government and replace it with his own regime, redrawing the map of Europe and reviving Moscow’s Cold War-era influence.
Pressure on strategic ports in southern Ukraine appears to have taken control of the country’s coastline, which stretches from the border with Romania to the west to the border with Russia to the east. A spokesman for Russia’s Defense Ministry, Major General Igor Konashenkov, said Russian forces had blocked the cities of Kherson on the Black Sea and the port of Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov.
He said Russian forces had also taken control of an air base near Kherson and the city of Henichesk in the Sea of Azov. Ukrainian authorities also report fighting near Odessa, Mykolaiv and other areas.
Interrupting Ukraine’s access to its seaports would deal a severe blow to the country’s economy. It could also allow Moscow to build a land corridor to Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014 and has so far been connected to Russia by a 12-mile bridge, the longest bridge in Europe that opened in 2018.
The blaze erupted from an oil depot near an air base in Vasilkov, a town 23 miles south of Kyiv, where there was intense fighting, according to the mayor. Russian forces blew up a gas pipeline in Kharkov, prompting the government to warn people to cover their windows with a damp cloth or gauze to protect them from smoke, the president’s office said.
The death toll from Europe’s biggest land conflict since World War II remains unclear amid the fog of battle.
Ukraine’s health minister said on Saturday that 198 people, including three children, had been killed and more than 1,000 injured. It was unclear whether these figures included both military and civilian casualties. Russia has not released information about the victims.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN, Sergei Kislitsya, wrote on Twitter on Saturday that Ukraine had appeared before the International Committee of the Red Cross “to facilitate the repatriation of thousands of bodies of Russian soldiers.” The accompanying chart claims that 3,500 Russian soldiers were killed.
Leticia Courtois, the ICRC’s permanent observer at the United Nations, told the Associated Press that the situation in Ukraine was “a constraint on our teams on the ground” and “therefore we cannot confirm figures or other details.”
The UN refugee agency said on Sunday that about 368,000 Ukrainians had arrived in neighboring countries since the invasion began on Thursday. The UN estimates that the conflict could lead to 4 million refugees, depending on how long it lasts.
Zelensky denounced Russia’s offensive as “state terrorism.” He said attacks on Ukrainian cities should be investigated by an international war crimes tribunal and cost Russia its place as one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Ukrainians fleeing their country after the Russian invasion ordered by Vladimir Putin arrive at the Polish-Ukrainian border crossing in Medyka in south-eastern Poland
Ukrainian families are seen at the border with Poland in Medyka as thousands of citizens are fleeing the war-torn country after Russia announced an invasion this week
People wait for their friends and relatives at the Medyka border crossing between Poland and Ukraine, as Polish Border Guards close lanes for vehicles to allow more pedestrian traffic
A man embraces a boy as people arrive at the Medyka border crossing between Poland and Ukraine on Saturday
Belarus poised to declare war on Ukraine as special forces are ‘loaded onto planes in preparation for major air assault on Kyiv’
Belarusian special forces are loading planes in preparation for an air strike against Kyiv that would escalate the conflict and declare war on Ukraine by dictator Alexander Lukashenko, military sources say.
Ukrainian intelligence reportedly learned from Belarus that “special” troops had been spotted loading planes for a major attack.
The escalation of the war with the potential involvement of Russian ally Belarus may signal Vladimir Putin’s growing anger and frustration as the Russian campaign appears to be mired in fierce battles around Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. In addition, there may be a risk of sucking other countries, including NATO allies, into pan-European conflict.
A senior source told the Mirror: “If this happens, it will mean that Belarus has openly joined Russia in its invasion of sovereign Ukraine. We believe that they are aimed at Kyiv and Zhytomyr. ‘
Andriy Zagorodniuk, a former Kyiv defense minister, says Belarus is on track to declare war on Ukraine. The Guardian quoted Zagorodniuk as saying: “The Republic of Belarus is very likely to join the Russian war against Ukraine. From the Russian side. There is information about paratroopers from the Republic of Belarus loaded on the planes entering Ukraine.
“This is a terrible development, as it includes a country that until recently was a great friend of Ukraine; which people have always considered Ukraine a fraternal nation. Ukraine and Belarus have never been at war with each other in their centuries-long history.
We believe that the only reason for this decision is a personal request from the President of Russia, which depends entirely on Putin in his policy.
“Russia has taken the path of evil and the world must come to deprive it of its seat on the UN Security Council,” he said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a Russian delegation of military officials and diplomats arrived in the Belarusian city of Gomel on Sunday for talks with Ukraine. Zelensky offered on Friday to negotiate a key Russian request: to give up its ambitions to join NATO.
The President of Ukraine said that his country is ready for peace talks, but not in Belarus.
Peskov claims that Ukraine has offered to hold talks in Gomel. He added that Russian military action continues pending talks.
Zelensky’s adviser Mikhail Podoliak rejected Moscow’s proposal as a “manipulation”.
As Russia moves forward with its offensive, the West is working to supply superior Ukrainian forces with weapons and ammunition, while punishing Russia with comprehensive sanctions designed to further isolate Moscow.
The United States has pledged an additional $ 350 million in military aid to Ukraine, including anti-tank weapons, bulletproof vests and small arms. Germany has said it will send missiles and anti-tank weapons to the besieged country and will close its airspace to Russian planes.
The United States, the European Union and Britain have agreed to block “selected” Russian banks from the global financial communications system SWIFT, which transfers money to more than 11,000 banks and other financial institutions around the world as part of a new round of sanctions aimed at imposing heavy costs to Moscow for the invasion. They also agreed to impose “restrictive measures” on the central bank.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday that his country was spending $ 112.7 billion in a special fund for its armed forces, raising its defense spending by more than 2 percent of gross domestic product. Scholz said at a special session of the Bundestag that the investment was needed “to protect our freedom and our democracy.”
Putin has sent troops to Ukraine after weeks of denying he intends to do so, while amassing nearly 200,000 troops along the country’s borders. He claims that the West has failed to take seriously the security concerns of NATO, the Western military alliance to which Ukraine aspires to join. But he also expressed contempt for Ukraine’s right to exist as an independent state.
Russia says its attack on Ukraine is aimed only at military targets, but bridges, schools and residential areas have been damaged.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, said Ukraine was gathering evidence of shelling of residential areas, kindergartens and hospitals to be handed over to the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague as possible crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Court prosecutor said he was closely monitoring the conflict.
The quake warned on Sunday that Putin could use “the most unpleasant means,” including banned chemical or biological weapons, to defeat Ukraine.
“I urge the Russians not to escalate this conflict, but we must be prepared for Russia to seek to use even worse weapons,” she told Sky News.
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