Security Minister Damian Hinds said he wanted to make sure those fleeing the Russian invasion had the “warmest, most supportive welcome possible” in Britain.

The developments come as the International Criminal Court (ICC) opened an investigation into Russia’s actions on Wednesday night after Britain and 37 allies referred Russia over what the Prime Minister described as “abhorrent” attacks.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said work would begin “immediately”, with his team already collecting evidence, after the co-ordinated referral freed him to get to work without the need for judicial approval.

Handout photo dated 02/03/22 issued by State Emergency Service of Ukraine of firefighters tackling a blaze at a Kharkiv University faculty building caused by a Russian missile strike

Mr Hinds told Sky News this morning that as well as a “couple of hundred thousand” refugees entering via the extended family programme – which will be open to applications tomorrow – others would be eligible via a “community sponsorship route”, along with already established schemes.

“There is absolutely no suggestion of any kind of delay here – people need help now,” he said..

Asked how many visa applications had been submitted since last Wednesday, Mr Hinds said: “So far a relatively small number – I can’t give you an exact number – but we expect that to grow rapidly.

“So we are stepping up the capacity. We are very soon up to capacity for 6,000, and we will keep that under review and if it needs to increase, it will increase – and that’s just in the immediate region.

“There is also of course application centres across Europe.”

According to the UN refugee agency, one million people have now fled Ukraine – making it the swiftest exodus of refugees this century.

Family scheme for Ukrainian refugees to come to the UK will open tomorrow, Minister says