World
A fireman runs after a Russian airstrike hit Kyiv's main television tower on March 1, 2022. (right). Photo: Sergei Supinsky/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq has successfully facilitated the arrival of hundreds of nationals from Ukraine to Poland, as the former faces a large-scale invasion by Russia, the spokesperson of the Iraqi foreign ministry announced on Tuesday.
Ahmed al-Sahaf, spokesperson for Iraq's foreign ministry, said that "the number of Iraqis who entered Polish territory totals 223 individuals from Ukraine."
According to Sahaf, the statistics were provided by Polish authorities in coordination with the Iraqi embassy in Warsaw.
Iraq has also requested the Romanian foreign ministry through the Iraq's embassy in Bucharest for "an extension of residency for Iraqis married to Ukrainian women who want to stay in Romania until the situation is resolved," according to the spokesperson.
On Saturday, Iraq announced its cooperation with Poland through joint operations to assist Iraqi nationals stuck in Ukraine, establishing several hotlines in the process.
Iraq's embassy in Ukraine on Thursday called on Ukrainian universities and institutions to grant Iraqi students studying in the country emergency leave.
An estimated number of 5,500 Iraqis, including Kurds, are in Ukraine, Sahaf told Rudaw English over the phone on Thursday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an attack on Ukraine on Thursday, with explosions being heard across the country, stoking fears of a major war.
At least 352 people have been killed, including 14 children, since the invasion began, AFP reported on Tuesday.
The fighting in Ukraine has so far pushed more than half a million people across the country's border into neighboring countries, the UN refugee agency reported on Monday.
Moscow is facing international opposition and is becoming increasingly isolated as the United States and its allies continue to expand economic, diplomatic, and cultural sanctions on Russia and Putin.
Earlier in February, Iraq called on its citizens to leave Ukraine.
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