Moldova is at “breaking point” after taking in more than 300,000 refugees from Ukraine, its foreign minister has said.
The tiny country, one of the poorest in Europe, has welcomed more refugees per capita of population than any other nation bordering Ukraine. The influx is the equivalent of 2.4 million refugees arriving in Britain in just over two weeks.
The figures were released overnight by Nicu Popescu, the foreign minister, who said: “We’ve registered over 314,000 refugees who crossed our borders since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.”
While many of the refugees have already moved on, those that remain are putting a huge strain on the capabilities of Moldova, which has a struggling economy and a population of just 2.6 million.
Health and social services are struggling to cope, Mr Popescu said, adding: “If the front line approaches our border, that will lead to dramatically increased pressure. It’s already a humanitarian catastrophe.
“About 103,000 refugees are still in the country and, according to the UN, 91 per cent of them are women and girls.”
‘We are Ukraine’s most fragile neighbour’
Caring for the refugees is costing Moldova’s economy around $1.1 million a day.
“If you look at the size of our country, if you look at our economic situation, you can of course deduct that we are Ukraine’s most fragile neighbour,” added Mr Popescu. “We really hope we don’t have to start putting up tent cities, but it all depends on the numbers.”
Among those who have recently arrived in Chisinau, the Moldovan capital, is Olga Parubets, a refugee twice at the age of 34. She has two children, a four-year-old girl and a baby aged one year and three months.
“Eight years ago we had to leave our home in Donbas because of the fighting there,” she said. “We know what happened in Donbas, so when the fighting started in Ukraine we were scared and we left.
“We have had so much help from so many people, and we are very grateful. People in Moldova are doing everything they can.”
Ms Parubets hopes to reach Vienna, where she can stay with friends.
Many refugees are being cared for at a centre near the centre of Chisinau, where families sleep in small cubicles that until recently were used for Covid patients.
Toddlers wander around while older children play with donated toys. They paint and draw but some of their creations are disturbing – a couple of drawings show bombs raining down on apartment blocks while stick figures with guns shoot each other.
“The kids are traumatised – they don’t understand what is happening,” said Aliona Romascu, a psychologist working at the centre.
