A petition set up by The Independent calling for greater help for Ukrainians seeking refuge from Vladimir Putin’s invasion has surpassed 200,000 signatures.
With the war in Ukraine now in its 19th day, the United Nations estimates that 2.8 million people have left the country so far, many fleeing Russian bombing that has hit residential buildings, kindergartens and hospitals.
Having reported from Ukraine’s western borders in the early days of the conflict as hundreds of thousands of people sought to cross into safety, our international correspondent Bel Trew created a petition urging the UK government to be at the forefront in answering their pleas for the world to help.
To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition, click here
The petition calls for urgent help in two ways.
Recommended Ukraine news – live: Civilians flee Mariupol Why has Russia invaded Ukraine? The conflict explained Sign The Independent’s petition to help the people of Ukraine
It insists that the government must provide more supplies of food, clothing and shelter to care for Ukrainian refugees – to be sent to countries that neighbour Ukraine to help those who have been forced to abandon their homes.
In line with The Independent’s renewed Refugees Welcome campaign, first set up during the war in Syria in 2015, the petition also urges the UK government to do more to make the UK a safe haven for refugees and to ensure we take in Ukrainians who want to find safety here.
By Monday evening, more than 200,000 people had put their name to these demands.
The milestone was surpassed shortly after after it emerged that – less than an hour after the launch of a new sponsorship scheme – more than 1,500 people in the UK had signed up to host a Ukrainian family in their home.
Following much criticism of the government’s response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis, with Boris Johnson refusing to ease visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees as every EU country has done, housing secretary Michael Gove on Monday unveiled the new “Homes for Ukraine” scheme.
Under the programme, sponsored Ukrainians will be granted three years’ leave to remain in the UK, with entitlement to work and access public services. The government will work with charities, faith groups and universities to match potential hosts with people from Ukraine.
Experts accused the government on Sunday of having initially “misread the public mood about Ukrainian refugees”, after an Ipsos poll for The Independent found that three in four Britons backed giving refuge to those fleeing war or persecution.
In evidence of the levels of support for the Ukrainian plight, a campaign set up by The Independent has raised more than ￡135,000 so far, having surpassed ￡100,000 in under a week.
World news in pictures Show all 50
1/50World news in pictures
World news in pictures 14 March 2022 A farmer works at a poppy field in the Zhari district of Kandahar
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 13 March 2022 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with an injured man during a visit at a military hospital following fightings in the Kyiv region
Getty
World news in pictures 12 March 2022 'Choke on it !!!' says the slogan of a carnival float showing a depiction of Russian President Putin as he swallows an object in the form and national colors of Ukraine
EPA
World news in pictures 11 March 2022 A young man kisses goodbye his girlfriend at Kyiv Main Railway Station as she tries to flee from Kyiv, Ukraine
EPA
World news in pictures 10 March 2022 The pack rides during the 5th stage of the 80th Paris - Nice cycling race
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 9 March 2022 Houses inundated with floodwaters from an overflowing Hawkesbury River are pictured in the Windsor suburb of Sydney
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 8 March 2022 People shelter from fireworks before the traditional "torito" (little bull) made of paper, wood and fireworks during celebrations of San Juan de Dios in Tultepec on the outskirts of Mexico City
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 7 March 2022 People cross the destroyed bridge as they flee from the frontline town of Irpin, Kyiv region, Ukraine
EPA
World news in pictures 6 March 2022 A local resident reacts as a house is on fire after heavy shelling on the only escape route used by locals to leave the town of Irpin, while Russian troops advance towards the capital, 24km from Kyiv, Ukraine
Reuters
World news in pictures 5 March 2022 Austria’s Roman Rabl competing in the men’s downhil sitting para alpine skiing during the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games in Yanqing
OIS/IOC/AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 4 March 2022 People remove personal belongings from a burning house after being shelled in the city of Irpin, outside Kyiv
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 3 March 2022 An aerial view shows a residential building destroyed by shelling, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, in the settlement of Borodyanka in the Kyiv region
Reuters
World news in pictures 2 March 2022 A man with his newborn child takes shelter in the basement of a perinatal centre as air raid siren sounds are heard amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv
Reuters
World news in pictures 1 March 2022 Members of an Ukrainian civil defense unit pass new assault rifles to the opposite side of a blown up bridge on Kyiv’s northern front
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 28 February 2022 Members of the Ukrainian community of Rome collect basic necessities to be distributed to the Ukrainian population, at the church of Santa Sofia in Rome, Italy
EPA
World news in pictures 27 February 2022 Protesters crowd around the victory column and close to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to demonstrate for peace in Ukraine
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 26 February 2022 The Swiss Air Force fly in front of the Weisshorn mountain in the Swiss Alps prior to the start of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Crans-Montana, Switzerland
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 25 February 2022 A Ukrainian firefighter walks between at fragments of a downed aircraft seen in in Kyiv
AP
World news in pictures 24 February 2022 Firefighters work on a building after bombings on the eastern Ukraine town of Chuguiv. Russian armed forces are trying to invade Ukraine from several directions, using rocket systems and helicopters to attack Ukrainian position in the south, the border guard service said
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 23 February 2022 A woman wearing a face mask walks next to decorations at a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand
EPA
World news in pictures 22 February 2022 Anganwadi workers take part in a protest march near Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, demanding better facilities and working conditions for women
AFP/ Getty
World news in pictures 21 February 2022 An elderly woman stands in a street of the city of Avdiivka, eastern Ukraine
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 20 February 2022 High waves in Doolin in County Clare on the west coast of Ireland
PA
World news in pictures 19 February 2022 Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China in action in Beijing, China
Reuters
World news in pictures 17 February 2021 A part of a damaged wall crashes onto the pavement during a storm in Berlin, Germany
AP
World news in pictures 16 February 2022 Syrian firefighters extinguish fire following artillery shelling by the Syrian regime on a fuel depot affiliated to the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group in the northwestern rebel-held town of Dana
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 15 February 2022 Austria's Cornelia Huetter competes in the womens downhill final during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 14 February 2022 A Taliban fighter directs traffic as a street vendor sells red heart-shaped balloons for Valentine's Day, in Kabul, Afghanistan
AP
World news in pictures 13 February 2022 Russian Navy's diesel-electric Kilo class submarine Rostov-on-Don sails with an naval ensign of the Russian Federation, also known in Russian as The Andreyevsky Flag on it through the Bosphorus Strait on the way to the Black Sea
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 12 February 2022 People participate in the Winter Snow Sports Festival in Kalam
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 11 February 2022 A tank during joint exercises of the armed forces of Russia and Belarus as part of an inspection of the Union State’s Response Force, at a firing range near Brest
Russian Defence Ministry/AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 10 February 2022 Multiple exposure photo of Magdalena Czyszczon of Poland during the Speed Skating warm up at the 2022 Beijing Olympics
Reuters
World news in pictures 9 February 2022 An Indian hand rickshaw puller waits for customers in front of a building displaying posters of different theater shows in Kolkata, India
AP
World news in pictures 8 February 2022 Starlings overfly Zaragoza, Spain
EPA
World news in pictures 7 February 2022 Performers dressed as superhero characters pose with a child receiving the Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11 at a gym in San Juan City, suburban Manila
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 6 February 2022 Cars stop before a flooded area, after Cyclone Batsirai made landfall, on a road in Vohiparara, Madagascar
Reuters
World news in pictures 5 February 2022 A woman carries a child as locals who were displaced by Cyclone Ana find refuge in an evacuation centre at the West Ankorondrano neighbourhood, Madagascar
Reuters
World news in pictures 4 February 2022 Performers take part in the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, at the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 3 February 2022 Italian Air Force aerobatic display team, the Frecce Tricolori, perform during the inauguration of the president of the Italian Republic, in Rome. Sergio Mattarella was elected for a second term
EPA
World news in pictures 2 February 2022 Italian athletes during training ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics
Reuters
World news in pictures 1 February 2022 People are sprayed with foam at an amusement park as part of holiday festivities on the first day of the Lunar New Year of the Tiger in Yogyakarta
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 31 January 2022 Arterial roads are lit up as morning commuters drive along at dawn in western Beijing ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 30 January 2022 Rafael Nadal reacts after beating Daniil Medvedev in the men’s singles Australian Open final. In doing so, the Spaniard won a record-breaking 21st grand slam title
AFP/Getty
World news in pictures 29 January 2022 A worker cleans up crude oil on Mae Ram Phueng beach following a spill caused by a leak in an undersea pipeline owned by Star Petroleum Refining Public Company Limited in Rayong, Thailand
Getty
World news in pictures 28 January 2022 Medical staff in personal protective equipment are seen at a speed skating training session for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
Reuters
World news in pictures 27 January 2022 Los Angeles sculptor Dan Medina has honored the anniversary of the deaths of Kobe and Gigi Bryant along with seven other passengers by placing a temporary statue of the two where their helicopter crashed two years ago today in Calabasas, California
REUTERS
World news in pictures 26 January 2022 The Central Reserve Police Force during the 73rd Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi, India
EPA
World news in pictures 25 January 2022 A winter swimming enthusiast dives into a partly frozen lake in a partly frozen lake in Shenyang, in northeastern China’s Liaoning province
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 24 January 2022 A newlywed couple from the US enjoys a snowfall during a photo shooting near the Acropolis in Athens
AFP via Getty Images
World news in pictures 23 January 2022 Anti-vaccine and mask activists act out getting a vaccine during a ‘Defeat the Mandates’ rally on the National Mall in Washington, DC, USA
EPA
It was announced that from 3 March all new funds would go to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, which brings together 13 leading UK aid charities providing support overseas, including the Red Cross and Save the Children, whose efforts donations had supported up to that point.
And every donation from our readers to the DEC appeal will be matched pound-for-pound by the UK government, up to ￡20m.
While Ukrainian and Russian officials are engaged in peace talks, the war shows little sign of slowing yet, and the scale of suffering in Ukraine continues to grow – with the UN confirming on Monday that 636 civilians have been killed so far in the invasion of Ukraine, and a further 1,125 injured.
Recommended Police firearms officer facing criminal inquiry over fatal Coventry shooting MI6 warned PM about Russian oligarch friend Evgeny Lebedev two years ago What the papers say – March 12
Most of these casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, the UN’s human rights commissioner’s office said.
The actual numbers are believed to be considerably higher, with hundreds of further civilian casualties alleged in recent days in Mariupol, and in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.