Mobile reception centers for refugees from Ukraine have been set up in major German cities.
According to the European bureau of Report, one of such centers was opened yesterday outside the Central Railway Station in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. The reception center, made up of mobile police, migration, and medical center, is receiving thousands of Ukrainian citizens a day.
An officer of the Cologne Police Department told Report that the reason for setting up a mobile checkpoint outside the railway station is to prevent migrant traffickers and businessmen from taking advantage of the situation of refugees from Ukraine. They deceive women with children with false promises, take their money, and leave them helpless. Police and the local municipality have set up information boards in Russian, Ukrainian, and English and displayed them in various parts of the city.
An employee of the Maltese Aid Service said that the refugees are first approaching the police station. After being registered in the system, they are provided with an identity document from the migration office. Later on, they go through medical checkups at tents and are provided with necessary clothing and cleaning supplies.
The next route for Ukrainian refugees is dormitories for them.
According to the Caritas aid agency, as dormitories in some cities have not been used for a long time, Ukrainian refugees have been temporarily accommodated in hotels. Some were welcomed into their homes by locals.
According to the organization, the number of people who want to accommodate refugees from Ukraine in their homes is growing day by day. The state has social assistance packages for these families.
The German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees says that about 3 million people have been forced to flee their country since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war. About 400,000 of them have arrived in Germany.