Romania is prepared to accept more than half a million Ukrainian refugees ahead of a possible invasion by Russian military forces.
The country could receive upwards of 500,000 refugees from its neighbor as Eastern Europe prepares for conflict following Russian President Vladimir Putin ordering troops into two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine on Monday evening, Defense Minister Vasile Dincu informed reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Dincu said that while there are “several estimates,” 500,000 refugees is the number they are prepared to accept.
“There is a plan prepared for all large cities. There are areas for this near the borders,” Dincu said.
The Luhansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People’s Republic were the two places that Putin acknowledged to be independent of Ukraine.
Hungary and Poland have also agreed to take in Ukrainian refugees ahead of an invasion.
U.S. intelligence officials revealed on Sunday that they had reason to believe that Russian commanders had received orders to proceed to invade Ukraine after months of rising tensions between the two countries.
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President Joe Biden’s deputy principal press secretary said on Feb. 14 that there was a possibility that Russia could invade at any time, as around 100,000 troops had not been moved away from the border.
Romania, which shares a 370-mile border with Ukraine, previously accepted Ukrainian refugees in 2014 after Russia annexed Crimea.
