A Ukrainian minister has urged refugees who fled the nation after Russia’s invasion to remain away this winter.
Iryna Vereshchuk, a deputy prime minister, stated blackouts attributable to Moscow’s bombardment of energy stations would put a heavy pressure on the nation.
In an interview on nationwide tv on Tuesday, she instructed Ukrainians sheltering in international international locations to attend till spring earlier than returning.
“I wanted to ask people not to return. We need to survive the winter,” she stated.
Since October 10, Russia has bombarded Ukraine’s power infrastructure with waves of missile and drone strikes.
Kyiv says that as much as 40% of the ability system has been broken.
An official in Kyiv stated final week that residents ought to put together for blackouts lasting days and even weeks.
The strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure come towards a backdrop of hovering meals and power costs throughout Europe, the place many of the tens of millions who fled Ukraine have sought shelter.
This poses an extra downside for refugees, lots of whom have struggled to seek out well-paid jobs of their adopted international locations.
Ms Vereshchuk stated the grid “won’t survive” the return of refugees from overseas, and that the scenario would “only get worse”.
“To return now is to risk yourself and your children, your vulnerable relatives,” she stated.
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Latest information from the UN Refugee Agency present that greater than 7.7million million refugees from Ukraine are unfold throughout Europe.
Poland, which borders Ukraine to the west, is internet hosting essentially the most refugees: 1.4 million.
Britain has 138,000 Ukrainian refugees registered for non permanent safety.
Source: information.sky.com”