As Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine continues to drag on in its fourth year now, Kiev is rethinking its strategies on how to maintain close ties with those forced to leave Ukraine and move abroad, as well as how to motivate them to return.
Since Russia conducted a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, around 4.8 million Ukrainians have been given temporary protection in Europe.
What was originally planned as a three-year protection mechanism was extended for a total of five years until March 2027.
The longer they stay abroad, the more difficult it becomes to bring them home, says Ukrainian vice minister Olexii Chernishov is currently heading the newly created Ministry of National Unity.
Chernishov is tasked with maintaining close ties with Ukrainians overseas and motivating them to become increasingly settled abroad.
“The longer the war, the more integrated the Ukrainians are in other countries,” he told Euronows.
“That’s why we want to protect our relationships with Ukrainians, even during the war. We want to deal with them. We want to explain that everyone is equally important to Ukraine. It can be material or even emotional,” explained Chernishov.
“You should be integrated into Ukrainian life. You should think about Ukraine. It’s important that you maintain your Ukrainian identity and Ukrainian agenda when you are considering your return or if you don’t think about it at all.”
Kyiv now wants to restructure its strategy with what is called “Unity Hubs” held overseas. These multifunctional spaces provide a variety of services to displaced or temporarily displaced Ukrainians, including legal, psychological, educational, cultural and support services, to promote integration into the European Union.
However, they also encourage them to voluntarily return to Ukraine if peaceful conditions allow this.
The European Commission supported the initiative as it announced an extension of the temporary protection scheme.
Chernishov said “the Ukrainians here in the European Union are giving them more than 20 months of clarity to plan their lives.” At the same time, Kyiv hopes that the “Unity Hubs” initiative will help people plan their future return to Ukraine.
Chernishov admitted that he would depend on war first and foremost. Ukrainians remained unmoved in search of a better life, he repeated.
Ukrainian refugees and the EU labor market
Meanwhile, Ukrainians in Europe are “a very strong asset for the labor market,” the Ukrainian vice minister said.
“They are professionals, they are hardworking, they are smart, they are educated, and obviously the labour market will compete with each other,” Chernishov explained.
There is no official data on the number of Ukrainian refugees working in Europe. The situation varies by country.
According to a joint report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Immigration Network from May 2024, there are temporary protection beneficiaries (BOTPs) that are more rapidly integrated into the labour market than other refugee groups.
At the beginning of 2023, the proportion of working-age BOTP in employment was already above 40% in many EU countries, including Estonia, Lithuania, Denmark and the Netherlands.
Poland has reported higher employment levels, exceeding 60%. Meanwhile, the numbers were lower than the average in Germany (18%) and Switzerland (14%).
After the first major relocation wave in 2022, most EU countries reported low numbers of registrations. However, the number of BOTP employment continues to increase, reflecting an increase in the transition to employment.
Kyiv has gained professional experience overseas and hopes that Ukrainians will carry it out at home. Cherniszov said that economic development and implementation of reforms will also pave the way for people to return home after the war is over.
“If Ukraine restructures and develops its economy, European countries will come to recover. Who will they bring?
However, economic growth and further development are undoubtedly important, but stable peace remains a major prerequisite for the return of people, not just for Ukraine’s economic growth and prosperity.
“We can’t force people back.”
Brussels has announced that the European Commission will appoint a special envoy for the Ukrainians of the EU.
This should help Ukrainians provide better information about the transition from temporary protection to different legal positions, and also pave the way for a gradual return and reintegration in Ukraine.
Chernishov says that many Ukrainians want to go home and have already demonstrated this.
Many returned home as soon as possible after the Ukrainian forces drove Russians out of the Kiev region.
“In March 2022, many people returned to Kiev and other cities. They actually set a great example,” Cherniszov said.
In an unprecedented step, Kiev has set up the Ministry of National Unity, trying to motivate them to come back more, and is working to one day return and stay in, allowing dual and multiple citizenship.
But what Kiev can’t and what he doesn’t do is force people back, Cherniszov said. “We can’t force anyone to come back. This is impossible.”
“The only motivation to return to Ukraine is the success of your love for Ukraine and your homeland. These are the only two factors that make Ukrainians take this decision seriously. They cannot provide powerful actions.
Ukraine can do as much as possible to motivate people with administrative and economic incentives, but as long as Ukrainian cities are still bombed and attacked, it is difficult to convince people to come back.
In this case, the decision to return to Ukraine for many depends not on Brussels or Kiev, but on Moscow, who chooses whether to continue the war with Ukraine or not.
