Romania receives 4,180 asylum requests from the 500,000 Ukrainians who arrived in its territory

Bucharest, 21 Mar Romanian authorities today reported that they have received only 4,180 asylum requests among the more than half a million Ukrainians who have entered the country fleeing the Russian invasion. The refugees from Ukraine who arrive in Romania are overwhelmingly women, children and the elderly. About half have entered Romania after leaving Ukraine through the Republic of Moldova, which borders both countries. Most Ukrainians entering Romania use Romania as a stopover to continue their journey to other destinations, such as the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy or Spain. According to data from the Romanian Ministry of the Interior, reception centres for asylum seekers are occupied at 89 per cent of their capacity. The majority of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Romania are temporarily accommodated in boarding houses and accommodation improvised by the Government, civil society, or in private homes. More than 328,000 Ukrainians have entered the Republic of Moldova since Russia began the large-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. According to the Moldovan authorities, some 225,000 have since left the country, most of them across the border with Romania. At present, some 100,000 Ukrainian refugees remain in Moldova, about half of them children. Moldova is considered the poorest country in Europe and has only 2.6 million inhabitants. The Moldovan Government is receiving assistance from Western governments to deal with this avalanche of refugees.