© AFP / Attila Kisbenedek
Ukrainian refugees cross the border on foot in Barabas, Hungary, on February 28, 2022. More than half a million people have fled Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. More than half fled to Poland, according to the United Nations.
Around 500,000 Ukrainians have had to leave their country since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the attack on February 24, says the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The European Union estimates the number of people who will be expatriates at seven million. Neighboring countries such as Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia and Romania are currently the largest recipients of the refugee flow.
Added to the war is the inevitable humanitarian crisis. Five days after the Russian attack against its neighboring country began, more than half a million people have arrived in other nations fleeing the conflict, said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, on February 28.
Grandi called on Ukraine’s neighboring countries to “keep their borders open to those seeking safety and protection.”
At the moment, the main refugee receiving nations are Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia and Romania, due to their proximity. However, the flow of expatriates may spread to more European countries as the conflict continues.
During a visit to a border crossing between Ukraine and Romania, where more than 74,000 people have arrived so far, EU Internal Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said the 27-nation bloc must prepare for millions of arrivals.
“Europe’s worst humanitarian crisis in years”
The number of displaced Ukrainians is expected to exceed seven million people, and “in the worst case scenario, if this war continues, they will find themselves in urgent need of humanitarian assistance”, stressed the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic.
“We are witnessing what could become the biggest humanitarian crisis on our European continent in many years,” Lenarčič said, speaking at a press conference in Brussels after a special meeting of interior ministers from EU member states to discuss the crisis.
The official added that humanitarian needs are growing more and more and therefore “the priority must be assistance to the people affected by this war.”
Likewise, and citing UN estimates, Lenarčič stated that around 18 million Ukrainians will be affected by the conflict in humanitarian terms whether they remain within their country or in neighboring nations,
EU plans to grant stay of up to three years to affected Ukrainians
As part of the possible responses of the community bloc to deal with the massive arrival of refugees, European Union officials indicated that it is planned to approve a right of residence for Ukrainian citizens for a period of up to three years.
The measure would be applied in all 27 member states, including a residence permit, access to employment and social welfare.
Ministers on Sunday asked Johansson to activate the EU’s temporary protection directive, drafted after the Balkan wars in the 1990s but which has not been used until now.
This is the formalization of a mechanism to deal with the massive arrivals in the EU of foreigners who cannot return to their countries due to war, violence or human rights violations.
Currently, men of compulsory military service are not allowed to leave Ukraine, so the majority of refugees are women and children.
Johansson emphasized that the exodus of Ukrainians affects the entire continent and many of those fleeing the war also have large Ukrainian communities, in nations such as Italy, Spain and Germany.
With Archyde.com and EFE