Poland, Neighboring Ukraine, "Preparing Accommodation Facilities for War... Expecting 1 Million People to Arrive"

Polish Minister of the Interior "Consulting with Local Governments"
Polish Local Governments "Considering Conversion to Shelter Within 48 Hours"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Poland, which borders Ukraine, announced that it has begun securing large-scale refugee facilities, warning that a massive refugee crisis could occur if Russia invades Ukraine.

On the 14th (local time), Mariusz Kaminski, Poland's Minister of the Interior, stated on his Twitter account, "We are preparing for various scenarios related to the situation in Ukraine, one of which is the influx of more than one million refugees into Poland in the event of war," adding, "We are working with local governments across Poland to prepare measures related to the potential influx of refugees."

It has been reported that some cities, including Ciechan?w in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship in north-central Poland, have already received instructions from the provincial government to prepare refugee shelters. Krzysztof Kozinski, mayor of Ciechan?w, explained on Twitter that "we were instructed to present the number of refugees to be accommodated, the facilities for them, related costs, and the time required to renovate buildings," and that "the provincial government recommended a maximum of 48 hours to convert existing buildings into refugee shelters."

Approximately two million Ukrainians, mainly migrant workers, are already known to reside in Poland, which shares its eastern border with Ukraine.

As the U.S. government previously advised its citizens remaining in Ukraine to leave within 48 hours, raising concerns that war is imminent, neighboring countries of Ukraine are also closely monitoring the situation. Earlier, on the 11th, U.S. President Joe Biden stated, "Russia's invasion of Ukraine is likely on the 16th, and missile attacks from Belarus as well as ground troop assaults are possible," significantly heightening military tensions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.