The Ukrainians who first sought protection in resource-strained Estonia but decided to take up an invitation to live in Finland began arriving in Helsinki on Tuesday, according to the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri).
Given the relatively small size of Estonia, the country has received a “considerable number” of Ukrainians fleeing their war-torn homeland, a situation which has strained its reception system, Migri explained in a release issued on Wednesday.
In light of that situation, Finland and Estonia offered Ukrainians who might be interested to move to Finland instead.
The first of such Ukrainians began arriving on Tuesday, a group made up of a group of fewer than five people, the agency said.
Migri authorities met the Ukrainians in Helsinki harbour to arrange their transport to a reception centre where they are to reside for the time being.
Migri’s planning officer, Camilla Rautala, is in charge of the transfer arrangements.
“We have considerable previous experience of receiving relocated asylum seekers from other EU countries, and that has helped us prepare for receiving Ukrainians from Estonia as well. Any special needs of Ukrainians arriving from Estonia and any pets they might have with them will be taken into account when providing accommodation for them,” Rautala said in the statement.
She added that it is too early to tell how many protection-seeking Ukrainians will be transferred from Estonia.
However, Finland has agreed to take in a maximum of 100 Ukrainians from Estonia per week until further notice, according to Migri.
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