As Ukraine braces for a feared Russian invasion, its EU member neighbors are making preparations for a possible influx of hundreds of thousands or even millions of refugees fleeing military action.

Poland, which has a lengthy border with Ukraine and is already home to an estimated 1.5 million of its citizens, has expressed steadfast support for the country to its east and a willingness to help.

"Poland is preparing for various scenarios in connection with the tense situation," the interior ministry told AFP on Wednesday.

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But even before this week's developments, which saw Russia recognize rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine as independent and the West hit back with sanctions, contingency plans for a potential humanitarian crisis were already in the works.

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"The interior ministry has for some time now been taking steps to prepare us for a wave of even a million people," Polish Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik said last month.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has since created a working group to set out the logistical, transport, medical and educational needs that would be required to host an influx of Ukrainian refugees.

"We are prepared to welcome children and youths to Polish schools and students to Polish universities," Education Minister Przemyslaw Czarnek said on Wednesday.

After talks with Warsaw on Tuesday, EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson told AFP that "Poland is quite well prepared to welcome a lot of Ukrainians if necessary."

She said the European Commission stood ready to provide economic support to Poland if needed, as well as assistance from the EU Agency for Asylum, Europol and the EU's border control agency Frontex.

- Romania, Slovakia also ready -

Slovakia, which also borders western Ukraine, said it too was prepared to do its part.

"We have plans ready for possible refugee pressure on the Slovak-Ukrainian border," Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said on Tuesday.

Interior Minister Roman Mikulec told reporters there were four refugee camps that could accommodate Ukrainians seeking asylum.

"If the situation requires it, we can also use the existing accommodation facilities of the ministry of the interior and other ministries," he said.

Romania, which is among Europe's poorest countries, said it did not expect many Ukrainians to flee there, but added that it was ready to take in half a million refugees.

"This is the figure for which we are prepared," Defense Minister Vasile Dancu told reporters on Tuesday.

Romania could set up reception centres, particularly in large towns along its 650-kilometer-long (400 miles) border with Ukraine, Dancu said.

"Tents, beds, blankets, heating systems -- that can all be gathered and installed in under 12 hours," said Alexandru Moldovan, the prefect of Suceava county in the north.

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- Working for peace but prepared -

Even Hungary, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban is known for his hard stance on migration, appeared prepared to welcome refugees.

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"In the event of a war, hundreds of thousands, even millions, of refugees would arrive from Ukraine and fundamentally redraw the political and economic situation in Hungary," he said earlier this month.

"We are working for peace, but of course the designated state bodies have begun preparations."

On Tuesday, Hungary announced that it would deploy troops to its border with Ukraine for purposes of both security and humanitarian aid.

"We cannot allow any acts of war in western Ukraine to drift into the territory of Hungary," Defense Minister Tibor Benko said Wednesday.

"And if refugees arrive, they must be accommodated and provided with care."

The UN refugee agency said Tuesday that for now it was not seeing any increased movements outside Ukraine's eastern regions but "the situation does remain unpredictable".

"We do stand ready to support efforts by governments and other stakeholders to protect refugees and find solutions for people who are displaced in case there are any movements," spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo told reporters.

But a leading foreign aid organization, the Norwegian Refugee Council, warned earlier this month that were the conflict to escalate and displace millions, humanitarian groups would struggle to meet even a fraction of needs.

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"It would be so utterly insane to launch upon the world another cataclysmic war," its secretary general Jan Egeland said at the time.

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