500 days of war: Ukrainian refugees hope to return home

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - More than 6.3 million Ukrainians have taken refuge abroad since the launch of Russia’s “special military operation” that entered its 500th day on Saturday, according to UN data.

Some 5.96 million Ukrainians took refuge in Europe, while 364,000 refugees were recorded outside the continent.

Russia is hosting the largest number of Ukrainians – almost 1.3 million, followed by Germany with 1.1 million. Poland, which became the "gate to the EU" for refugees, is third with almost 1 million.

The Czech Republic has accommodated more than 350,000 refugees; the UK has over 206,000; while Bulgaria, Italy, Moldova, Slovakia and Romania accommodated more than 100,000 refugees each. Austria and the Netherlands have also hosted nearly 100,000 refugees each.

Elena, 41, an engineer from the Donetsk region, said she decided to take refuge in Russia because there is no language barrier and she has distant relatives there who can accept her and her family for the time being.

"I have a higher education and I think there are more chances that I find a good job here. If I go to Europe, even if my diploma is recognized, it will be difficult for me to find a job because I only speak a little English, which is not enough for the kind of work I do," she told Anadolu.

Roman, a 39-year-old refugee, said: “Have I ever experienced bureaucratic or other problems here? Many times. But who said I will not face them in other countries? Such is the system. People of all countries complain about bureaucracy. Here, at least, I understand what the problem is," he said.

Based on data received from Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Türkiye, Lithuania, Georgia, and Spain, a UN Human Rights Council survey released on July 6 revealed that 62% of the Ukrainian refugees are hoping to return home and 67% internally displaced people are expressing the same desire.

The main conditions they mentioned for return included the end of the war, restoration of civilian infrastructure, and access to basic services, livelihoods and housing.

The UN said that some 40% of the respondents said they do not have enough information about safety, employment opportunities and the situation of their previous accommodations which could affect their decision to return.

The most common reason for the return, stated by 63% of those interviewed, was a desire to go back to their native country and live in a familiar cultural environment. That was followed by reunification with family, voiced by 44%.

The UN said that the majority of those hoping to return are older people, families with a large number of children, those living in a more unstable accommodation in their country due to higher needs and vulnerability, and those with relatives in Ukraine.