A group of 48 orphans who fled the war in Ukraine are to be flown to Britain on Monday after the Home Office gave the green light.
The children, who are aged from six to 17, left five orphanages in Dnipro in central Ukraine on March 8, days before Russian airstrikes on the city.
They have been temporarily housed in a hotel in Znin, northern Poland, but were waiting to hear if they could enter the UK, despite an offer from a charity in Scotland to take them into their care.
The children will be housed in Callander, Perthshire, for two to three weeks before longer term accommodation can be found in Edinburgh.
The charity wants the children, along with four “mothers” who will accompany them, to stay together so they can return to Dnipro when the war is over. Hibernian football club has pledged to fund their return flights.
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The Home Office had been accused of hindering efforts to get the children to the UK but responded that complex Ukrainian rules governing the care of orphans had halted the plans.
But after talks with the Ukrainian ambassador yesterday, Priti Patel, the home secretary, said permission had been given by the Ukrainian government to bring the children to Britain. She is working with the Polish government to arrange their journey.
The mission was arranged by Dnipro Kids, a charity established by fans of Hibernian after they played Dnipro in a European football competition in 2005.
The charity is hoping to arrange a flight to Stansted before transporting them north of the border after missing a deadline to arrange a flight to the UK today. Ian Blackford, the SNP’s Westminster leader, who has lobbied the UK government to grant the orphans visas, will travel to Poland on the Virgin Atlantic flight and return with the orphans.
Patel said: “It is deeply troubling that children from the charity Dnipro Kids have been caught up in Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. I have been working directly with the Ukrainian government and asked for their permission to bring these children to the UK. I am extremely grateful to the authorities in Ukraine, who have now confirmed to me that the children can come here.”
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Blackford said: “I’m absolutely delighted we’ve managed to achieve this breakthrough and that, all things being well, Scotland will welcome 48 Ukrainian children and their guardians to safety on Monday.
“While this process has been more difficult than it needed to be, all that matters now is that these children will be in a place of safety and I am pleased beyond words.
“I want to pay tribute to everyone who has worked hard to make this happen including the Scottish charity Dnipro Kids, the Ukrainian and Polish authorities, the Scottish government, Edinburgh city council, and all those who have helped resolve issues at the Home Office.
“It’s essential that the UK government learns lessons and removes unnecessary barriers and delays to supporting displaced children and families.
“Not all children will be in the position of having guardians and adults to support them, and the Home Office must ensure there are safe, smooth and quick ways for them to access visas and reach safety. It’s far from clear to me how that can happen under the present system.”
