EU to set up humanitarian hub for Ukrainian refugees in Moldova

BRUSSELS, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission is setting up a hub for humanitarian aid in Moldova, to support its partners working with Ukrainian refugees, a Commission spokesperson said here on Tuesday.

"The operation consists in the installation of a hub in Chisinau for humanitarian partners, and the delivery of over 1,200 EU-owned tents and 4,000 blankets for people displaced by the conflict," said Balazs Ujvari, the Commission's spokesperson for humanitarian aid and crisis management.

Moldova is also receiving help from Norway and 18 European Union (EU) member states through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which can be triggered by any non-EU country when they face a situation in which they might need help from EU member states.

Since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on Feb. 24, more than 4.5 million people have fled Ukraine, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).