Europe told to expect Ukrainian refugee surge
Europe can expect the arrival of more Ukrainian refugees as Vladimir Putin uses winter as a weapon of war, the head of Nato has warned.
Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, said: “We have to be prepared for more refugees crossing into the rest of Europe” as a result of Russia’s “deliberate attack on critical services, heating, light, water and gas” in Ukraine.
Speaking in Bucharest, Romania, at a two-day summit of foreign ministers to mobilise support for
Ukraine, he said: “I think we all have seen these pictures taken from satellites where you see Europe in light and then you see Ukraine dark
. . . so there is a huge task to rebuild all of this.
“President Putin is trying to use winter as a weapon of war.”
In the nine months since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, 6.5 million Ukrainians are thought to have moved internally to flee fighting and another eight million have left the country.
Aid agencies have said the onset of winter and the Kremlin’s attempt to break Ukraine’s resistance by shattering infrastructure may trigger another influx as people seek warmth and safety.
Russia has sent waves of missiles and exploding drones to destroy infrastructure in recent weeks.
While Ukraine’s air defences have shot down many, those that have got through have caused damage to the national grid.