UK Prime Minister Says Ukrainian Refugees Will Not Be Sent to Rwanda

LONDON (Sputnik) - Ukrainian refugees will not be sent to Rwanda under a new agreement which allows London to send migrants to the East African country, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday.

The UK and Rwanda signed a migration agreement on 13 April, under which people who are recognised by the British government as illegal migrants or asylum seekers will be deported to Rwanda for processing of documents, obtaining asylum and relocation. The plan has drawn criticism from both human rights organisations and some politicians who believe the measure will not help stop the flow of illegal migrants trying to arrive in the UK on small boats via the English Channel from France.

"Simply not going to happen… There is two totally different things, so what is happening with the Ukrainian schemes, there are two of them… They are both incredibly generous and they are intended to help people who have relatives in Ukraine that want to bring them over," Johnson told the LBC radio.

Earlier in the day, The Times reported that Daniel Hobbs, Director of Asylum, Protection and Enforcement at Home Office, was unable to rule out the possibility of Ukrainian refugees being considered for relocation to Rwanda.

On 24 February, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. The Russian Defence Ministry said the operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only. According to the UNHCR, a total of 6,029,705 people have left Ukraine since 24 February.