Number could multiply
Already 27,500 Ukraine refugees in Germany
3/5/2022 1:03 p.m
Russian attacks are driving people out of Ukraine by the thousands. Many of them also arrive in Germany, officially the number is already more than 27,000. The International Organization for Migration estimates that the number could multiply.
To date, the federal police have registered 27,491 war refugees from Ukraine in Germany. This was announced by a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior. At the same time, he pointed out that the actual number of war refugees from Ukraine who entered Germany could be significantly higher, since the data from the Federal Police would only show a part of the refugees, also due to the non-existent border controls. “Since there are no border controls, the number of war refugees who have entered Germany can actually be significantly higher,” it said.
According to estimates by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), up to 225,000 war refugees from Ukraine could seek protection in Germany. This emerges from an internal paper by the federal government, reports the “Spiegel”. Accordingly, the organization expects that a total of up to 1.7 million refugees will leave Ukraine because of the Russian attack on the country.
Other estimates are even higher. According to the UN, more than 1.2 million people had fled the Russian war of aggression alone by Friday. According to “Spiegel”, the UNHCR refugee agency estimates that up to four million people could leave Ukraine.
Help with “mass influx”
A large proportion of the displaced are seeking protection in the neighboring countries of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova. As of Friday, the German federal police counted around 18,400 Ukraine refugees arriving in Germany, mostly women and children. Because no visa is required for entry and there is no systematic registration at the borders, the actual number is likely to be higher.
According to the information, the number of people fleeing the war zone in Ukraine has been recorded since the start of the Russian attacks on February 24. In Poland alone, the refugee agency UNHCR estimates the number of Ukrainian refugees at just under 650,000 as of last Thursday.
This week, the EU created the conditions for quick and uncomplicated protection for war refugees from Ukraine. The EU states had unanimously adopted a corresponding decision on Friday. This is the first time a directive has come into force in the event of a “mass influx” of displaced persons. The protection for people from Ukraine is initially valid for one year, but can be extended by a total of two more years. A lengthy asylum procedure is therefore not necessary. In addition, those seeking protection have direct rights to social benefits, education, accommodation and a work permit, among other things.