Moldova is setting up distribution centres for refugees from Ukraine in the south and north of the country.

The authorities have made it easier for them to enter their territory. On Friday night, multi-kilometre traffic jams formed at a major checkpoint at the entrance to Moldova.

So far, 15,816 Ukrainian citizens have crossed the border.

According to the Moldovan government's press service, Ukrainian citizens will be allowed into the country even if they do not have a foreign passport. It will be possible to cross the border on the basis of internal documents. Ukrainian citizens who do not have a certificate of vaccination against coronavirus will also be allowed to enter Moldova. Children will be allowed in Moldova on the basis of a birth certificate, a regular passport or a foreign passport.

Two distribution centres for refugees will open in Palanca and Calarasovca settlements in the south and north of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. Moldovan border guards told local media that on Friday night, 60-kilometre-long queues stretched out at one of the major border checkpoints as hundreds of Ukrainian citizens attempted to enter Moldova. A team from the Legal Advocacy Centre is on duty at the checkpoint 24 hours a day. They help Ukrainian citizens fill in asylum applications. On Friday, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry advised its citizens in Ukraine to cross the land border into Moldova in case of danger.