LITHUANIA, February 24 - The Lithuanian authorities are ready to provide the necessary assistance to Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war caused by Russia. According to Minister of the Interior Agnė Bilotaitė, Lithuania is currently preparing to receive from several thousand to tens of thousands of war refugees from Ukraine.

‘Although we hoped to avoid the worst, for several weeks now we have been preparing very responsibly together with municipalities and non-governmental organisations for the reception of refugees from Ukraine. We are ready for various scenarios – from a few thousand to several tens of thousands,’ says Minister of the Interior Bilotaitė.

Information stands marked in signs as well as tents will be set up at the former Kalvariai and Lazdijai border checkpoints to provide up-to-date information to Ukrainian citizens arriving via Poland. Riflemen’s Union volunteers will be on duty there.

Refugees will be directed to registration centres in Alytus and Marijampolė. The centres will accommodate people for up to 72 hours, with migration procedures and redirection to temporary accommodation sites taking place there.

At the request of the Ministry of the Interior, all Lithuanian municipalities have already provided data on the available capacity to receive refugees. Currently, municipalities could provide temporarily accommodation to approximately 10,000 people. According to the Minister, Poland is currently ready to receive 200,000, Latvia, Slovakia, and Romania 10,000 each, and Estonia, 3,000 refugees.

In the near future, everyone willing and able to provide accommodation or transportation of refugees from Ukraine will be invited to register on the website www.stipruskartu.lt.

According to Minister Bilotaitė, active work takes place with other ministries, municipalities, NGOs, businesses, and associations to find solutions not only for the reception of refugees, but also for permanent accommodation, social services, employment opportunities, and the use of the international assistance mechanism.

The Migration Department under the Ministry of the Interior informs that citizens of Ukraine holding biometric passports, whose national visas or temporary residence permits in the Republic of Lithuania expire, may get access to a 90-day visa-free regime immediately after the expiry of these documents.

At present, there will be no return or expulsion decisions on Ukrainian citizens and their family members.

Ukrainian citizens can get information from the Migration Department by its general line: 8 707 67000, for calls from abroad: +370 5 271 7112, and by e-mail: info@migracija.gov.lt.

The Migration Department will regularly update information on migration procedures and related steps for Ukrainian citizens on the website www.migracija.lt.