Some 190 Ukrainian refugees arrived in Croatia since the beginning or Russia's invasion, including 11 who have been placed at the Plitvice Motel outside capital Zagreb, Interior Minister, Davor Bozinovic, said on Monday. The remaining arrivals are staying with their friends and relatives in Croatia, he added.

Croatian authorities have moved to prepare to receive a larger number of refugees in the wake of Russia’s invasion, repurposing the Plitvice Motel outside Zagreb and a large sports hall in the eastern city of Osijek to serve as reception centers. Another refugee center will be set up in the northern spa town of Varazdinske Toplice, Bozinovic told reporters on Monday.

According to estimates from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) the conflict might force some 3-5 million people to flee Ukraine and seek shelter in other European countries, Bozinovic told reporters.

On Sunday, the ministers of home affairs of 27 EU member countries held an extraordinary meeting to discuss the response to the situation in Ukraine, focused mainly on providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine, receiving Ukrainian refugees, managing EU’s external borders and response to so-called “hybrid threats.” They proposed the activation of the so-called Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) for Ukrainians fleeing the country, which means the lifting the 90-day maximum stay for Ukrainian nationals in the EU, so that Ukrainians fleeing the war can stay in the EU for a period from one to three years.

The mechanism also includes giving them a residence permit, access to employment, access to accommodation or housing, access to social welfare or means of subsistence, access to health care, and access to education for minors. During the government’s meeting on Monday afternoon, Bozinovic said that so far 18 EU member countries, including Croatia, had provided “humanitarian and technical support” to Ukraine.

They are also considering assistance to Moldova, which has so far accommodated 50,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country. The European Commission has okayed an initial support of €5 million for them, Bozinovic told the cabinet.