by Miceál O’Hurley
POLISH CHECKPOINT AT DOROHUSK — Chris Melzer, UNHCR Senior Spokesperson give exclusive interview to Diplomacy in Ireland – European Diplomat as day-11 of the war comes to a close. You can watch the interview as part of our continuing coverage with a special edition of ‘In Conversation This Week’ in its entirety below.
When Diplomacy in Ireland – European Diplomat first spoke with Melzer on Day-3 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 28,000 evacuees had crossed the border. That number now exceeds 1.7 million. The majority of evacuees are entering through Poland where Ukraine has historic ties. However, Moldova has the highest-number of evacuees per capita in their tiny country.
The humanitarian crisis is unfolding on a daily basis. Slovakia, Romania, Moldova and Poland are all giving every effort to support the Ukrainians fleeing from Russian troops. The UNHCR indicates that funding for the Ukraine mission is at only 9% – leaving a critical resources gap. Donations can be made directly to the UNHCR: https://donate.unhcr.org/int/en/ukraine-emergency
