Ukraine warns Nicola Sturgeon: Don’t leave war refugees languishing on a cruise ship

Ukraine’s consul general in Scotland has warned Nicola Sturgeon that war refugees must not be left to languish on a cruise ship in rooms smaller than a prison cell.

The Scottish Government has rented MS Victoria to house those fleeing Russia’s invasion after shelving their flagship “super sponsor scheme” earlier this week.

The ship, currently docked in Leith, has 739 rooms measuring 86 sq ft, with each one accommodating up to four people - leaving just 21 sq ft per person at full capacity.

But Yevhen Mankovskyi, Ukraine’s consul general in Edinburgh, told The Telegraph: “I don’t want people to live for six months on the ship, no one wants this."

Mr Mankovskyi revealed he only heard about Ms Sturgeon’s last-minute solution on Monday, the same day it was announced to the public. He is planning to inspect the ship next week.

'I hope that people will not stay on the ship for too long'

While insisting he will reserve his full judgment until he sees the cabins in person, he suggested he would take the First Minister to task if the conditions are not up to par.

He said: “I can’t say that I was shocked the Scottish Government has made this decision.

“Let’s see, let’s give them a chance and let’s see how it is going to work, because we need to see what people will say about this.

“If we receive more and more negative comments about this, negative feedback, after that we can discuss something with the Scottish Government, if that’s the case people are not happy with this, maybe we need to change something.

“I hope that people will not stay on the ship for too long, we will see.”

Asked what the most important thing the Scottish and UK Governments could do to help Ukraine, he said: “Missiles, bombs, heavy weapons.

“All of this the United Kingdom has provided us, we very much appreciate this, we are grateful for the support, but we need more.”

Last month Kate Forbes, Ms Sturgeon’s finance secretary, said no more of Scotland’s money should be given to Ukraine for weapons after handing over a potential final payment of £65 million to the Treasury.

Mr Mankovskyi also said “too many'' Ukrainian refugees were staying in hotels, with some forced to rely on food banks to have three square meals a day.

Overwhelmed with applications

Up to 10,000 Ukrainians are understood to have arrived in Scotland since Russia’s invasion in February.

The First Minister had previously insisted her nation would welcome an “uncapped” number of refugees “wrapped in a warm Scottish welcome”.

However, the Scottish Government announced on July 11 it would be suspending its sponsorship scheme for a minimum of three months, after being overwhelmed with applications.

MS Victoria has been rented for six months and is currently docked next to the Royal Yacht Britannia after arriving from Tallinn, Estonia’s capital, where it had also been used to house refugees.

Mr Mankovskyi stressed the ship would not be a “prison” for those living there, but admitted it “will not be good” if the living space per person comes to 43 sq ft per person.

Single prison cells in Scotland are at least 75 sq ft and in shared cells, rules state there should be at least 48 sq ft for each inmate.

A Scottish Government spokesman said the welfare of all displaced Ukrainians “remains our absolute priority” and said they agreed with Mr Mankovskyi that they should not be spending “more time in temporary accommodation than is absolutely necessary.”

The spokesman added: “The ship will offer displaced people safe accommodation, complete with restaurants, child play facilities, shops, and communal spaces.

“Families will be accommodated according to their needs, as has been the case in other temporary accommodation.”