Ukraine war: Fifty orphans permitted to travel to Scotland

A group of children evacuated from Ukraine by a Scottish charity has been granted permission to travel to the UK.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said Ukrainian authorities had confirmed the orphans from Dnipro would be able to continue their journey to Scotland.

Charity Dnipro Kids, established by fans of Hibernian Football Club, has already evacuated the 50 children to Poland from orphanages in Ukraine.

They are expected to arrive in Scotland next week.

It is understood they will be kept together and will spend a few weeks in Callander before moving to Edinburgh.

Steven Carr, chairman of Dnipro Kids, said the children would be "welcomed with open arms".

Ms Patel said it was "deeply troubling" that the children had been caught up in "Putin's brutal invasion of Ukraine" and the UK government was working with Poland to ensure their "swift arrival" in the UK.

"I am extremely grateful to the authorities in Ukraine, who have now confirmed to me that the children can come here," she said.

SNP MP Ian Blackford has been working with the charity to provide the children, who are aged between two and 17, with temporary sanctuary in Scotland.

He told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland he was going to Poland with Dnipro Kids to help bring the children back to Scotland on Monday.

They are expected to spend a day or two in London before travelling north.

"The crucial thing is they are all going to be kept together," he said. "They will be with what's called the mothers of the homes as well, they'll continue to get their education.

"Crucially, they're here for as long as they need to be, until they can safely return back to Ukraine again.

"Hibernian football club have offered to cover the costs of transferring the kids back when it's appropriate to do so.

"It's just fantastic to see so many people recognise the traumas that so many people in Ukraine are going through and we're able to provide sanctuary to these young people."

Speaking after returning home to Perth, Mr Carr said Dnipro Kids, which was founded in 2005, had "done what we can to keep them safe".

The children are staying in a hotel with the support of Fundacja Leny Grochowskiej, a Polish organisation providing free accommodation and food for hundreds of refugees.

After the initial group of children and their carers were transported out of Dnipro, a second group travelled by bus accompanied by humanitarian Sally Becker from Save A Child.

"The kids are coming to Scotland and they are going to have a fantastic time here and they are going to absolutely love it. But at the end of the day, this is just a safe haven for them until it is safe to go back home," he told BBC Scotland.

"They are not here to stay because they have their own homes, they have their friends, their school friends, everything like that back in Ukraine.

"Ultimately they will be going back there, which will be a very sad occasion, but they are just here for safe haven and we're just going to make their time here as nice as it possibly can be."

He said the the Scottish public had been "absolutely phenomenal" in supporting them.

Dnipro Kids was set up by Hibs FC fans after a Uefa Cup match in the city in 2005.

Before the war began last month its focus was on raising funds to provide practical support for orphanages and a crisis pregnancy centre.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: "I'm very grateful to the Hibs fans' Dnipro Kids charity and all others involved in getting the children out of Ukraine safely.

"Scotland has a proud history of supporting refugees, and I'm sure these young people will be made incredibly welcome when they get here."

More than three million people, mostly women, children and elderly people, have fled Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion three weeks ago.

Up to 3,000 people fleeing the conflict will be offered immediate temporary accommodation in Scotland, and could begin arriving as early as the weekend if the scheme is agreed.

The Scottish government has also announced a further £15m of funding will be made available to help refugees, including £11m for local councils and £2.5m for temporary accommodation.

Meanwhile, more than 8,000 people in Scotland have expressed an interest in hosting Ukrainian refugees through the UK government's Home for Ukraine scheme.

The total number of applications across the UK (147,513) are 122,390 in England, 8,625 in Scotland, 10,236 in Wales and 6,262 in Northern Ireland.

Alister Jack said: "It shows extraordinary generosity and empathy with people in Ukraine, who are facing the most appalling and difficult circumstances."