Moldova, one of the poorest nations in Europe and wedged between Ukraine and Romania, is one of the largest recipients per capita of Ukrainian refugees, despite being battered by its own crises even before the war, French news agency AFP reported on Wednesday (March 1). 

The arrival of around 100,000 Ukrainians to the eastern European country of about 2.6 million has highlighted Moldova's need for further resources. At least 20% of the former Soviet republic's population lives below the poverty line, and inflation stands at around 27% after it peaked at more than 34% in August 2022.

"The priority now is to help the country progress economically, because it was already a fragile environment" a year ago, AFP quoted Francesca Bonelli – the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative in Moldova – as saying.

As time goes on, "the situation becomes more difficult because the inhabitants feel forgotten and begin to see the refugees as a problem," Bonelli stressed.

Only if humanitarian assistance "benefits both the refugees and the local community" in strengthening hospitals, border protection and ministries, "will solidarity last over the long term," she added.

'Strained public health system'

The arrival of thousands of Ukrainian refugees in a country with an already "strained public health system" increases demand, Doctors of the World coordinator in Moldova Liz Devine said. "Imagine if three million people were to arrive in France and they needed medical services overnight."

Some 40 NGOs are currently active in Moldova, in addition to five United Nations agencies.

"When the war began and the refugees started arriving, we immediately set everything in motion and offered our resources," Eduard Tatarov, the head of a refugee center accommodating Ukrainians, told AFP.

Bellayar, 62, fled her home near the Ukrainian city of Odessa with her daughter and two-year-old granddaughter. The family now lives with 54 other Ukrainians and 160 vocational school students at a boarding school that also serves as an accommodation center in Nisporeni – about 75 kilometers (45 miles) west of the Moldovan capital Chisinau.

"Here, we are provided with everything we need and... the sky is peaceful, we are not afraid for our children," Bellayar said. "I chose Moldova because it is not very far from my village and I hope to return as soon as possible," she added.

Moldova is also home to the separatist Transnistria region, where Moscow's 1,500 soldiers are still deployed, at times stoking fears of an invasion among inhabitants.

With AFP