As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, 6.8 million Ukrainians continue to live as refugees. Researchers say that less than half plan to return once the war ends.
Galyna Grahno left her city with her family at the start of Russia’s large-scale attack in the first year of the war. Now, she says she has nowhere to go back to.
“In October 2022, I saw a video online from the city and recognized my apartment. The corner of my daughter’s room was still there. The table was still there, a screen on the table, but everything else was destroyed,” she says.
This is the third year Grahno has been living with her family in Poland. She says the chances of returning to Ukraine are slim.
“I speak Polish better now – I passed the B1 level exam and took accounting courses in Polish. My daughter started university. So, there’s a good chance we’ll stay here,” she says.
Most Ukrainians who fled the war share Grahno’s views, says Hlib Vyshlinsky, executive director of the Center for Economic Strategy, a non-governmental research organization in Kyiv.
“According to a survey we conducted at the end of 2022, over 50 percent of Ukrainian refugees planned to return. Now, that figure has dropped to around 20 percent,” he says.
The lack of security is one of the key factors, says Vyshlinsky.
Margaryta Sytnyk, co-founder of the group ‘Holka,’ says other difficulties for returning include the lack of jobs and housing.
“Will the infrastructure exist, schools, or a future for children? These are key factors in deciding whether to return or stay in a second country,” she says.
Sytnyk has lived and worked in Poland for the past seven years. But when the war started, she decided to return to Ukraine.
“As someone who has experienced being an immigrant, I understand their concerns and suffering,” she says.
According to the Center for Economic Strategy, 80 percent of Ukrainian refugees are doing jobs that require fewer qualifications than they have.
Migration policy expert Andrii Gaidutski believes that many Ukrainian refugees naturally do not want to lose their status and will choose to return once peace is established and conditions are favorable – an issue the Ukrainian government must address.
“The state needs to create conditions for business development here. An employer will hire a returning Ukrainian refugee, providing them with the opportunity to work here and earn enough to pay for rent,” he says.
It is still unclear whether those who were forced to stay in Ukraine during the war will remain there after the war ends.
“According to the survey, once the borders are opened, about 20 percent of Ukrainians may leave. It remains to be seen under what conditions Ukrainians who have experienced the war will continue to live here,” says Sytnyk, as reported by VOA.
The United Nations states that there are now around 7 million Ukrainian refugees worldwide – almost one-sixth of Ukraine’s pre-war population.
