Ukrainians living on a cruise ship in Edinburgh have said it is 'better than we could have dreamed'. Earlier this month the first refugees began to arrive onto the ship docked at Leith.
The MS Victoria passenger ship aims to host 700 Ukrainians and provide cabins, food, and shelter for families displaced due to the war in their motherland.
The vessel was commissioned by the Scottish Government to be used until January 2023. Prior to its current role hosting refugees, it sailed through the Baltic sea on leisure cruises, reports Edinburgh Live.
Speaking to the BBC Nikol Bilous, 19, from Kyiv said: "The conditions on the ship are better than we could have dreamed of and we are very grateful to the Scottish people for this accommodation.
"There is Ukrainian TV channels which we were very surprised about as you never find that when you go on holiday. All the signs are in Ukrainian on the ship and most of the staff are Ukrainian.
"And last night we had Borscht beetroot soup, our national dish, we couldn't believe it. We were so happy to have this as it is our hearts."
She explained there were cinemas and theatres on board but there were issues with the lights because they were not working after the Covid lockdowns.
"But we don't need entertainment and were very surprised they were trying to do all this for us," she said. "Edinburgh Council has been on board all the time answering any questions we have, so we have felt 100% supported.
"There is also Wi-Fi on board. It's perfect. The rooms are quite small but they are perfect and we are very happy and grateful."
The Scottish Government says new Ukrainian arrivals to Scotland are met at a network of "welcome hubs".
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