The year of the war in Ukraine: where in Europe Ukrainians found refuge the most

Autor: Vika Kozak

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced millions of Ukrainians to flee their homes, triggering Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since World War II.

It is estimated that more than 100,000 people fled their homes on the first day of the war. And a week after the start of the war, the European Council launched its directive on temporary protection. The directive, created in 2001 in response to the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, is designed to offer quick and effective assistance to people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

This directive allows all Ukrainian citizens who lived in Ukraine until February 24, 2022, to live, work and study in the EU. And also have access to social security.

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than eight million Ukrainian refugees have already been registered in Europe. Of these, 4.8 million are registered for temporary protection.

Poland accepted the most Ukrainian refugees – more than 1.5 million. The second place is occupied by Germany with 881,000 Ukrainian refugees. It is followed by the Czech Republic with more than 486,000 (according to UN data).

Italy recorded more than 169 thousand Ukrainian refugees, and Spain – more than 161 thousand. The United Kingdom, with more than 158,000 registered refugees, and France, with more than 118,000 refugees, follow closely behind.

Refugees also settled outside Europe. Speaking in December, US President Joe Biden said the US had accepted more than 221,000 refugees from Ukraine since last March, and more than 140,000 Ukrainian citizens had arrived in Canada.

More than 70,000 Ukrainian refugees are recorded in Ireland, most of whom are housed in temporary or emergency accommodations, including hotels, sports halls, former religious buildings and tents.

The report of the European Migration Network (EMN) states that hotels and hostels are the main form of accommodation for Ukrainians arriving in Bulgaria and Cyprus. In Slovakia, the share of housing provided by private individuals was about 55%, and in Latvia – 66%.

In Germany, according to observations, the share of private housing varied from approximately 10% to 80%, depending on the municipality.