Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that Gov. Kathy Hochul said March 3 that New York is ready to welcome any refugees from the war in Ukraine. Department of Homeland Security officials earlier in the day approved special refugee status for nationals leaving the country amid the Russian invasion. New York state is already home to the largest Ukrainian community in the United States, including a small group in Jewett, in Greene County. Now, more than a million people are leaving Ukraine to escape Russian troops. "Russia's unjustified and unprovoked attack on the sovereign and democratic country of Ukraine has led to human rights abuses, senseless violence against innocent civilians and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has created more than one million refugees in only a week," Hochul said. "As I've said before, with the Statue of Liberty standing tall in our harbor, New York stands ready to open our arms and provide a safe haven to all Ukrainians." Afghan refugees have already been moving into the Hudson Valley, after the collapse of the government there and the takeover by the Taliban. Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.