Nearly nine in 10 displaced Ukrainians surveyed while crossing from Poland planned to stay no more than 30 days, a November 6 study found. Security, housing, income and healthcare needs remain barriers to lasting returns.
Nearly nine in 10 displaced Ukrainians surveyed while crossing from Poland intended to spend no more than 30 days in Ukraine, a study commissioned by the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) found, describing respondents’ plans rather than confirmed permanent returns or the intentions of all Ukrainian refugees.
Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine led to mass displacement and an initially unified EU response in support of Ukrainian refugees. UN data indicates that about 5.9 million Ukrainians remain abroad as refugees.
Just 8% of respondents planned to stay for more than a month. A longer planned stay does not by itself establish a lasting return: IOM identifies security concerns, damaged housing, limited income opportunities and healthcare needs as continuing obstacles.
Respondents had spent almost three years abroad on average, and more than three-quarters had crossed the border at least three times since being displaced. Most visits were to reunite with family, and 85% intended to travel to their region of origin, UN News said.
Arthur Erken, IOM’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia, said people also return for medical care or to spend time in places they have missed. He distinguished visiting from being able to stay: many people make repeated journeys between Ukraine and their country of residence to maintain ties to people and places.
In separate research, Migration Policy Institute Europe analyzed IOM surveys of more than 60,000 displaced people across ten Central and Eastern European countries. Its commentary says housing, education, healthcare and social support in host countries can provide stability and resources for an eventual return when conditions allow.
The foreign ministers agreed in Paris to increase financial and material support for Ukraine’s energy security, building on an earlier pledge to help the country through winter.
The commentary’s authors, expressing their own views rather than IOM’s, warn that cutting host-country support could increase poverty and exclusion without necessarily increasing returns.
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