Do they want to leave Ukrainian refugees in the EU without benefits? The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reacted to the article by El Pais

On December 24, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that Ukraine wants to return up to 10 million refugees, allegedly seeking to deprive them of their payments abroad and to leave men of military age without consular services. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has already responded to the article and assured that it distorts the real plan, which is to "create positive motivation" for the return of Ukrainians.

"Some statements in this article are incorrect. 1. The government of Ukraine does not demand a reduction in aid. 2. Men of military age have access to consular services. The goal is to create positive motivation, not obstacles, to encourage the voluntary return of our citizens," Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyi wrote on social network X, commenting on the El Pais article.

The article states, among other things, that Ukraine is considering several possible measures to return its citizens, including the desire to reduce payments to them in EU countries and to deprive men of military age of consular services. It was these remarks that caused dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but the article also mentioned other measures to return Ukrainians, such as:

• introduction of tax benefits for returnees, such as income tax exemption for the first three years;

• provision of mortgage loans on favorable terms;
• educational scholarships for children;
• legalization of dual citizenship, which can preserve ties with the diaspora.

The publication noted that the demographic crisis in Ukraine has reached a "critical level." Even before the full-scale war, the country's population had fallen to 41 million people (from 49 million in 2001). Now this figure has fallen to 31 million, in addition to millions of people living abroad or in the temporarily occupied territories. According to the Ministry of Economy, to achieve economic growth of 7% annually, Ukraine needs to attract 3.1 to 4.5 million workers by 2032.

In addition, post-war reconstruction will require more than $400 billion, which is 2.5 times the country's pre-war GDP. In such circumstances, every citizen really becomes important for the country's recovery.

Which refugees do not want to return

According to research, a significant number of refugees plan to stay abroad. For example:

• in Poland, 39% of refugees want to stay for a long time or forever;
• among those who left for economic reasons before the war, this figure rises to 61%.

Ukrainian journalist and migration expert Olena Babakova explains that the reasons for the reluctance to return depend on a number of factors. These include:

• security: many people do not believe that the war will end in the near future or that a new conflict will not arise again;
• Economic stability: high living costs, including rent, and lack of job security are holding many back;
• social services: refugees expect quality education and medical care, which they lack in Ukraine;
• psychological barriers: some feel a gap with those who stayed in the country and fear being perceived as "traitors."

"Most people I know have no plans to return. We have security, stability, and the ability to sleep every night here," says a Ukrainian refugee who left for the Netherlands with her daughter.

Despite the obstacles, many Ukrainians come to the country for a short time. For example, about 150,000 people crossed the borders in both directions during the New Year's Eve period. According to the UN, more than 1.2 million refugees have returned to Ukraine for at least three months. However, this return is not always permanent.

To address the problem of migration, the government created a new body, the Ministry of National Unity, to deal with the diaspora and refugee return. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy identified this task as one of the priorities in the resilience plan presented in November 2024.

Minister Oleksii Chernyshov said that the ministry would work with the estimated 10 million citizens who fled the country due to war or economic reasons. However, there are still no clear mechanisms for return. "We only know the general goals. It is not yet clear how to achieve them," said sociologist Olha Pishchulina.

As OBOZ.UA reported earlier, the declared number of Ukrainian refugees abroad may be significantly overestimated. Such estimates do not take into account the fact that some Ukrainian citizens are registered in several countries and also return to their homeland.

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