The Scottish Government has chartered the MS Victoria to house those fleeing the Russian invasion after abandoning its flagship ‘super grant scheme’ earlier this week. The ship, currently docked in Leith, has 739 staterooms measuring 86 square feet, each accommodating up to four people – leaving just 21 square feet per person at full capacity. But Yevhen Mankovskyi, Ukraine’s consul general in Edinburgh, told The Telegraph: “I don’t want people to live six months on board, nobody wants that.” Mr Mankovskyi revealed he heard about Ms Sturgeon’s last-minute solution on Monday, the same day it was announced to the public. He plans to inspect the ship next week.

“Hopefully people won’t stay on board too long”

While he insisted he would reserve full judgment until he had seen the cabins in person, he suggested he would take the First Minister to task if conditions were not up to par. He said: “I can’t say I’m shocked that the Scottish Government has taken this decision. “Let’s see, let’s give them a chance and see how it works, because we have to see what people say about it. “If we get more and more negative feedback about it, negative feedback, after that we can discuss something with the Scottish Government, if that’s the case, people aren’t happy about it, we might have to change something. “I hope people don’t stay on board for too long, we’ll see.” Asked what the most important thing the Scottish and UK governments could do to help Ukraine, he said: “Missiles, bombs, heavy weapons. “All this the UK has given us, we appreciate it very much, we are grateful for the support, but we need more.” Last month Kate Forbes, Mrs Sturgeon’s chancellor, said no more of Scotland’s money should be given to Ukraine for arms after handing over a potential £65m final payment to the Treasury. Mr Mankovskyi also said “too many” Ukrainian refugees were staying in hotels, with some forced to rely on food banks to get three square meals a day.

Inundated with applications

Up to 10,000 Ukrainians are thought to have arrived in Scotland since Russia invaded in February.
The First Minister had previously insisted her nation would welcome an “uncapped” number of refugees “wrapped in a warm Scottish welcome”.
However, the Scottish Government announced on July 11 that it would suspend its sponsorship scheme for at least three months after being overwhelmed by applications. The MS Victoria has been chartered for six months and is currently moored alongside the Royal Yacht Britannia after arriving from Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, where it had also been used to house refugees. Mr Mankovskyi stressed that the ship would not be a “prison” for those living there, but admitted that it would “not be good” if living space per person reached 43 square feet per person. Individual prison cells in Scotland are at least 75 square feet and in shared cells, rules state that there must be at least 48 square feet for each prisoner. A Scottish Government spokesman said the welfare of all displaced Ukrainians “remains our absolute priority” and said they agreed with Mr Mankovskyi that they should not spend “any more time in temporary accommodation than is absolutely necessary”. The spokesman added: “The ship will offer evacuees safe accommodation, complete with restaurants, children’s facilities, shops and communal areas. “Families will be accommodated according to their needs, as has been the case in other temporary accommodation.”