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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Sarah Ward

Ukrainian orphans' flight to UK cancelled as Hibs charity rescue mission stalls

A flight bringing 50 Ukrainian orphans to the UK has been cancelled.

The youngsters, aged two to 17 years old, were supposed to be travelling from a hotel in Znin, Poland, to Heathrow on a Virgin Atlantic charter flight today.

They had been stuck in a stalemate situation with no idea whether they would be allowed to enter the UK despite being offered accommodation in Scotland, until a last-minute U-turn on Thursday.

They were to be accompanied by nine adults and Nats politician Ian Blackford, who campaigned to bring them to Scotland, as well as Judge Robbie Rinder and journalists from Sky.

The children do not have passports and had never left Ukraine before, and none of them had been on a plane.

However, before the plane left Heathrow Airport, a form that should have been sent by the Ukrainian government to the Polish Ministry of Family and Social Policy, needed to release the group, was not sent in time.

It is now said that the Virgin flight will not take place before Wednesday, with organisers looking at alternative options.

The children and their carers are now awaiting the next flight in a hotel.

Charity Dnipro Kids Appeal, founded by Hibernian FC supporter Stevie Carr, was behind a massive effort to get the kids to the UK after they fled their home city on March 8.

Stevie said: "The flight has been cancelled, we are trying to sort something else out.

"It's pretty hectic right now."

Ian Blackford told PA News Agency: "We've been up against a race against time to get the paperwork that needs to be in place signed off on and there's been a delay on that.

"So, for the time being, it means that nothing is going to happen today.

"I think the key thing is that a lot of people will determine everything is done to support the orphans that are currently in Poland.

"That has always been the first and last concern of all of this, so we'll continue to work with everybody to make sure that arrangements can be put in place to give the children that sanctuary in Scotland."

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