Judge Robert Rinder heads to Poland to collect 52 orphans who have fled war-torn Ukraine
Judge Robert Rinder says he is in the midst of a ‘bureaucratic nightmare’ as he tries to bring 52 Ukrainian orphans to Britain after flight bringing them to their new home in Scotland is prevented from leaving Poland over a missing document
Best known for a reality courtroom series he went to collect orphans in WarsawBut he says the children will not come today as a form was not sent to PolandThe orphans are supposed to eventually go and live in Loch Lomond, Scotland They are now at a hotel awaiting documentation so they can take a flight out
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
(function (src, d, tag){
var s = d.createElement(tag), prev = d.getElementsByTagName(tag)[0];
s.src = src;
prev.parentNode.insertBefore(s, prev);
}(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/1.17.0/async_bundle- -.js”, document, “script”));
<!–
DM.loadCSS(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/gunther-2159/video_bundle- -.css”);
<!–
Judge Robert Rinder said he is in the midst of a ‘bureaucratic nightmare’ today as he tries to bring 52 Ukrainian orphans to Britain after the flight set to take them to their new home in Scotland wasn’t able to take off from Poland because of a missing document.
Mr Rinder – who is best known for his reality courtroom series – said a form that should have been sent by the Ukrainian government to a Polish ministry to release the group today, was not sent in time.
The 52 children, aged from six to 17, were at an orphanage in Dnipro before they were moved out of war-torn Ukraine to a hotel in Znin, northern Poland by a Scottish charity.
They were set to make their way to the airport in Warsaw today where it was planned they would fly to London then to Edinburgh to their new home near Loch Lomond.
But the Virgin flight is now not likely to leave before Wednesday, with organisers looking at alternative options.
The children and their seven carers are now waiting in a nearby hotel.
Mr Rinder, who is in Warsaw, has taken the cause of Ukrainians fleeing the brutal Russian invasion to his heart, saying: ‘Privilege is what you can do to help others’.
He previously went to the Ukrainian border to bring his Strictly partner Oksana Platero’s grandparents to safety as they joined more than 10 million Ukrainians who have fled their country during the crisis.
The children, aged from six to 17, were taken by Dnipro Kids, which was established by fans of Hibernian Football Club
The children are making a more than two thousand mile journey come from an orphanage in Dnipro, Ukraine to the UK. Mr Rinder is travelling to Warsaw to meet them so the 52 kids can live near Loch Lomond in Scotland
They are then to make their way to the airport where the 52 kids will be airlifted to live all-together near Loch Lomond, Scotland.
Judge Rinder, 43, pictured before flying with Virgin Airways to Warsaw
Judge Robert Rinder says he is in the midst of a ‘bureaucratic nightmare’ as he tries to bring 52 Ukrainian orphans to Britain after their flight set to take them to their new home in Scotland is cancelled over a missing document
Mr Rinder said on Twitter: ‘The final paperwork required from the Polish Ministry of Families did not arrive in time for the flight to leave today.
‘Kids and carers are safe in a hotel until they can be reached. Everyone involved in this mission is working hard to bring them to the UK in the coming days.
‘It says something that Pen Farthing could airlift 200 pets (I love my dog) from Kabul but we are stuck on the ground (probably unable to fly today) to rescue 52 orphaned kids because of paperwork. One signature! Hopefully tomorrow. ‘
Virgin Atlantic was due to fly the kids on the ‘very special mission’ and said they remain on ‘standby’.
A statement from Project Light, the operation to transport the children to the UK, said: ‘The group, made up of 52 children and seven adults, are currently being taken care of at a hotel in Poland and are safe and well.
‘The final paperwork required by the Polish Ministry of Families did not arrive in time for the flight to leave today.
‘All the parties involved in this mission are working hard to bring them to the UK in the coming days.’
Mr Rinder said his role in the mission was connecting the ‘amazing charities’ to Virgin Atlantic who provided the plane and Magen David Adom UK, Israel’s only medical emergency and blood service.
He said on Twitter: ‘Privilege is what you can do and who can reach in power to help others.’
Hibernian Football Club’s goalkeeper Kevin Dabrowski, speaking to the children said: ‘Scotland is a safe place.’
It comes after Westminster SNP leader Ian Blackford raised their plight in the House of Commons on Wednesday, saying then that the Home office was the ‘only obstacle’ to bringing them to the safety of the UK.
The UK Government had stalled on issuing visas for the children – none of whom have passports – and have claimed they wanted more information on safeguarding.
But they have since relented and the kids were now due to fly out today with help from charity Save a Child.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said in a statement: ‘It is deeply troubling that children from the charity Dnipro Kids have been caught up in Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.
‘I have been working directly with the Ukrainian government and asked for their permission to bring these children to the UK.
‘I am extremely grateful to the authorities in Ukraine, who have now confirmed to me that the children can come here.
‘We are working urgently with Poland to ensure the children’s swift arrival to the UK.’
The over 500 kids are then to make their way to the airport where the 52 kids will be airlifted to live together near Loch Lomond, Scotland. Pictured: One of the children in Znin, Poland
The children were struggling to get to the UK due to the Governments red tape
The children are being housed at a hotel in Nzin, northern Poland, where staff have set up a cinema and play area for them
Media manager for charity Dnipro Kids Appeal, Duncan MacRae, 41, flew out on March 16 to Pozon in Poland.
The children are being housed at a hotel in Nzin, northern Poland, where staff have set up a cinema and play area for them.
Mr Blackford said the children were expected to arrive in Scotland on Monday ‘all things being well’.
More than 100,000 people have opened their homes to Ukrainian refugees.
But those waiting for UK visas are being forced to sleep rough amid anger over red tape delays.
Host families have slammed the ‘nightmarish’ bureaucracy that is said to be prolonging the process for women and children who have fled the conflict.
And volunteers have warned that delays could be putting refugees at risk amid claims of trafficking.
Once a host family has been found, refugees must complete visa application forms – providing identity documents and answers to detailed questions in English.
There is then a further wait before the visa is issued, with government information saying the process can take up to six weeks.
