The full-scale war in Ukraine has triggered an outflow of Ukrainians abroad, mostly to the West. According to data of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as of mid-June 2024, almost 6 million Ukrainians are living in Europe.
The largest number of Ukrainian citizens have now been granted temporary protection in Germany — 1.1 million, in Poland — 957,000, and in the Czech Republic — 346,000. Notice that Germany took the lead from Poland, which shares a common border with Ukraine and a close language, only in 2023. The intra-European migration was driven by higher social benefits, higher wages, and integration initiatives of the German government. Other reasons for moving include feedback from Ukrainians who had settled here before and the desire to provide a quality European education for their children.
Finding work and learning new languages, integrating into European communities and trying to maintain mental health amidst worries about relatives and friends who remain in Ukraine are the things that unite Ukrainian refugees abroad. There are also generalised refugee stereotypes within Europe and misunderstandings at home, which leads to the loss of a common identification factor.
full article, on Zaborona
, as of mid-June 2024, almost 6 million Ukrainians are living in Europe.){kind=link}