Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said on Thursday that 4,300 Ukrainian refugees had arrived in Croatia since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and that Croatia was ready to take in 20,000.

Of the total number of Ukrainians who have found refuge in Croatia, 47% are women, 42% are children and 12% are men, Bozinovic told a press conference after a meeting of the government’s interdepartmental task force dealing with the reception of Ukrainian refugees.

He said that all the refugees were being taken care of at the reception centres and that most of them were staying in private accommodation, with their friends or relatives. He said that two million people had left Ukraine so far, and that between five and eight million were expected to leave the country, depending on developments.

“All our relevant institutions and all the ministries are involved in this crisis. At our meetings we discuss what has been done so far and how to respond to situations that we may face. Representatives of the Ukrainian community in Croatia, who are a valuable source of information, are also with us,” the interior minister said.

Bozinovic said that a solidarity platform was being established at EU level and that Croatia had declared its readiness to take in 20,000 displaced persons from Ukraine.

“In order to coordinate this work and in order for the refugees to get the rights they are entitled to under the EU’s temporary protection directive, which has been activated for the first time, we need coordinating meetings at national and EU level,” he said.

Bozinovic revealed that the meeting of the task force mostly focused on healthcare, welfare, employment and education for refugees so that funds could be requested from the EU, primarily from the Asylum and Migration Fund. Funding would also be provided through cohesion policy, he added.

He said that the funding would be used for the construction of reception centres, temporary shelters, mobile hospitals, the water supply and sewerage system, employment, education, social inclusion, counselling, training, psychological and legal support and the like.

Bozinovic said that they were also in close communication with the Red Cross and non-governmental organisations, notably those dealing with vulnerable groups such as children and persons with disabilities. Interpreters and volunteers have also been engaged, and a website is being designed where the task force will publish all the necessary information.