Slovak and Czech Army soldiers have begun setting up a tent town as a temporary emergency shelter for Ukrainian refugees

Members of the Slovak Army's 91 Engineer Regiment and Multi Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Battalion working shoulder to shoulder with Czech Army personnel have begun setting up a humanitarian tent camp for Ukrainian refugees on the Mokraď base in County Liptovský Mikuláš. The tent camp with a capacity to accommodate 400 people is expected to take in the first people displaced from Ukraine on Saturday 12 March 2022.

On SVK-CZE joint military efforts to help refugees, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “This is another example of our outstanding cooperation with Czechia and its Army. Our unity in solidarity and assistance are exactly what the people worried about their lives and fleeing Putin's aggression need in these moments.”

Minister Naď went on to remind that to ensure high standards of accommodation and comfort for Ukrainians, priority will be given to the accommodation facilities run by the Interior Ministry, the Transport Ministry and other ministries. “Yet, we will be fully prepared and ready,“ he added.

A complex of 20 heated tents, which offers accommodation, catering, health and social care services, is primarily intended for Ukrainian mothers and children as a temporary emergency shelter until such time as permanent accommodation is provided for them. They will be transported from the border crossings to the tent camp by the SVK Army's coaches.

A total of 15 CZE Army personnel will remain in Slovakia in order to operate the tent camp. Depending on the actual situation and requirements, the operation of the camp will be reviewed every 30 days.