Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk is disappointed with the positions of Moldova and Georgia on neutrality in the issue of imposing sanctions against the Russian Federation. “I once thought that what unites Ukraine most of all with Georgia and Moldova is that our countries are territorially “bitten” by the Russian Federation. But today’s position of official Tbilisi and Chisinau regarding their neutrality in imposing sanctions against Russia has disappointed me,” Stefanchuk wrote. He stressed that friends are known in trouble, “but it’s good that our peoples have a different opinion.”
SkyUp Airlines (Kyiv), in cooperation with The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, operated 8 flights from Moldova to Israel from March 6 to March 17, which allowed 1,248 Ukrainians to evacuate to Israel under the repatriation program.
According to the company’s website, 83 pets went to Israel with the passengers.
SkyUp noted that in active cooperation with The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews the company will continue to organize evacuation flights. In particular, flights are already planned for another 1,500 Ukrainians.
“As a conscientious company, we understand that we must continue our operations for the good of the country – in order for Ukraine to have a bright future. I express my deep gratitude to The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Moldova, the esteemed Ambassador Mark Oleksandrovych Shevchenko and personally to Serhiy Mykhailovych Humeniuk, who worked tirelessly to help our compatriots, as well as all those thanks to whom these flights take place. We are honored that our company can become a kind of bridge between Ukrainians and friendly countries, where people can feel security,” SkyUp Airlines CEO Dmytro Seroukhov said.
More than 75,000 people crossed the state border of Ukraine to the EU and Moldova on March 15, which is about 5% more than the day before, the State Border Guard Service said on Wednesday. “The indicators show that over the past two days, passenger traffic has a tendency to slightly increase. There are no queues of pedestrians and vehicles in almost all directions. The exceptions are the Krakovets checkpoints, as well as Uzhgorod and Tysa, where there are slight accumulations of cars and buses,” the statement said.
According to it, as before, 65-69% of those who left the country in the west first cross the Ukrainian-Polish border.
At the same time, the State Border Guard Service notes a steady flow of people entering Ukraine, the number of which on March 15 amounted to 16,000, including citizens of Ukraine – more than 13,000. “The vast majority are men who are ready to defend the country. Since the beginning of open armed aggression, about 273,000 of our countrymen have returned to Ukraine,” the service said.
The State Border Guard Service recalled that all checkpoints on the western border (except Dzvinkove) operate around the clock.
It also said that over the past day, more than 800 vehicles with humanitarian cargo were registered at the western borders.
According to the UNHCR, as of 13:00 on March 15, a total of 3.06 million people have left Ukraine since the beginning of the war, of which Poland received 1.86 million, Romania and Moldova – 555,300, Hungary – 272,900, and Slovakia – 221,000.
The number of refugees from Ukraine to Moldova is gradually declining, the head of the Emergency Situations inspectorate of the Interior Ministry of Moldova, Alexander Oprea, said.
“The number of refugees arriving on the territory of Moldova is gradually decreasing. According to the Border police, the flow of refugees to Moldova began to decline from March 8. At the same time, refugees continue to leave Moldova for the EU countries,” he said.
He said that from March 8 to March 13, some 242 bus trips were made and more than 8,000 people were transported to the border with Romania. Over 4,000 people from Ukraine arrived in Romania by train, including a special trip for refugees organized by the Moldavian Railway.
Oprea added that special trips for refugees have been organized in recent days: several trips have been made to Istanbul, Frankfurt am Main, Tel Aviv. The sky over Moldova remains closed, flights are operated only by special order of the State of Emergency Commission.
“If as of March 8, some 128,759 refugees were staying in Moldova, then as of March 14, there were 102,836 people, of whom 48,405 were children. There are 96 authorized accommodation centers in Moldova, two special centers organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. More than 4,000 places for accommodation remain available,” Oprea said.
In connection with the situation in Ukraine, the Moldovan parliament declared a state of emergency in the country for a period of 60 days, starting from February 24.
The UK has sent humanitarian aid to Moldova for Ukrainian citizens who are fleeing the country due to the Russian invasion, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.
“We are providing vital humanitarian aid to those fleeing Russia’s horrific attack on Ukraine. This shipment of hygiene kits and blankets to Moldova will ensure that those most affected by the conflict receive the crucial help they need,” the minister said on Twitter.
Moldova is applying for membership in the European Union, the country’s President Maia Sandu told a briefing in Chisinau on Thursday evening.
The application to the president of the European Council, French President Emmanuel Macron, will be filed in Brussels in the next few days, she said.
“This is the will our citizens expressed during elections. In the current complex situation we must act quickly and coherently so as to ensure a European, free and democratic future for our citizens,” Sandu said.
She signed the application in front of journalists. It was also signed by parliamentary speaker Igor Grosu and Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita.
