Germany will take in 2,500 refugees who have fled to Moldova from Ukraine, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Saturday, as eastern Europe's efforts to aid refugees come under strain.

The number of refugees who have fled Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24 now totals more than 2.5 million and some cities in eastern Europe are running out of accommodation.

Baerbock, speaking after meeting her Moldovan counterpart in Chisinau, said Germany was committed to helping Ukraine's neighbours look after refugees and a corridor would be set up via Romania to bring people to Germany, mainly by bus.

"Europe and our country stands in solidarity with you, we will take refugees from you," she said.

More than 270,300 people have crossed into Moldova from Ukraine and around 105,000 of them have stayed.

In Germany, some 109,183 refugees have so far been registered, the interior ministry said on Friday and Germans have offered up to 300,000 private homes to house them.

Italy seizes Russian oligarch Melnichenko's Sailing Yacht A

Rome: Italian police have seized a superyacht from Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko, the prime minister's office said on Saturday, a few days after the businessman was placed on an EU sanctions list following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The 143-metre (470-foot) Sailing Yacht A, which has a price tag of 530 million euros ($578 million), has been sequestered at the northern port of Trieste, the government said.

Designed by Philippe Starck and built by Nobiskrug in Germany, the vessel is the world's biggest sailing yacht, the government said.

Melnichenko owns major fertiliser producer EuroChem Group and coal company SUEK.

Last week Italian police seized villas and yachts worth 143 million euros ($156 million) from five high-profile Russians who have been placed on the sanctions list.

The police operations were part of a coordinated drive by Western states to penalise wealthy Russians linked to President Vladimir Putin.