THE only refugees housed on boats in Britain say they love it so much they want to stay.
But they are Ukrainians fleeing a war zone — and on a luxury cruise liner rather than the floating barges expected to soon house Channel migrants.
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This week ministers sparked outrage over their proposals to send asylum seekers to live on the vessels normally used for offshore construction projects.
But those on the MS Victoria — docked in Leith Port, Edinburgh — are impressed with the “five-star” facilities.
Lawyer Olena Bartyna, 39, who has been on the ship since September, is sad they will soon have to depart.
Olena, who is with her 72-year-old mother and one-year-old baby among 1,400 fellow nationals, said: “We have a cinema and a room for children where they can play and be educated.
“We have English classes and a psychologist to help cope with the trauma.”
Olena, from Kharkiv, added: “Our cabin is little, maybe six metres wide, but we have hot water, electricity and a good view of the sea.
“We’re really sad that we’re going to have to move out of it in the next three months.”
Daria Bondarenko was previously in a Holiday Inn with her daughters but prefers it on MS Victoria.
The mum, from Kyiv, whose ballet dancer husband Igor is still in Ukraine, said: “In the evenings there are cinemas, and they organise activities.”
Despite the warm welcome some hope to go back to Ukraine.
Alisa Liudmyla, from Kyiv, said: “I think that now I will go back to my real home, I miss my mother and brother who are there.”
Scot Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton initially had doubts about the accommodation.
But he said: “It is like a huge, all-inclusive hotel.
“The refugees have a shuttle bus that takes them into town and I wouldn’t make much distinction between staying on a cruise ship and living in a hotel.”
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