Ukraine in Arabic | More ethnic Poles in east Ukraine seek evacuation from conflict zone
Kiev/Ukraine in Arabic/ Polish Radio reports that at least 50 people in Mariupol have expressed interest in the scheme - says Ukraine Today.
More ethnic Polish residents of east Ukraine are seeking evacuation from the conflict zone, mostly from the port city of Mariupol. That's according to a Ukrainian portal for the Polish community, as reported by Polish Radio. The latest posts on the forum suggest at least 50 people with Polish origin have expressed an interest and registered for the evacuation scheme, originally organized by the Polish Foreign Ministry for those trapped in militant-held areas of east Ukraine.
A Polish foreign ministry spokesperson told Polish Radio that the situation in Mariupol had become more challenging since the militant rocket attack in the city suburbs that killed at least 31 civilians.
Earlier this month, five Polish military planes flew 178 ethnic Poles from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv to western Poland after being rescued from areas of Donetsk held by Russian-backed militants. The evacuees were moved into temporary housing and are now in the process of arranging Polish language lessons and permission allowing them the right to work.
Marcin Wojciechowski, Polish government spokesperson: "We will help the participants of the program to legalize their status there. But it's a question to our authorities. We will also encourage Polish local authorities, mayors, regions to help and join."
Polish media have previously reported the operation to evacuate ethnic Poles in Ukraine would cost an estimated USD one million.