Ukraine, one in 5 people have left the country since the beginning of the war

I’m little more than eight million refugees fled from Ukraine and registered in Europe one year after the start of the Russian invasion, one in five, out of a total population of 43 million people. We are talking about women, children, the elderly: men are restricted and cannot leave the country. An exodus that began in the days immediately preceding the “special operation” launched by Moscow, when fears of an attack had begun to become insistent, and exploded in the days between February and March 2022. On the border with Poland and Romania, long columns of people slowly crossed the icy border, few belongings with them: a bag, some plastic bags, in many cases a pet. Awaiting them, on the other side, an existence to rebuild.

The numbers

Two and a half million refugees have stopped in neighboring or closest countriesaccording to the data of February 2023 of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: Poland, above all (1.5 million), the Czech Republic (485,000 people), Moldova and Romania (108,000 each). But many, many ended up in Germany (which welcomed 1.05 million people). Far below are the other European countries: Italy (169,000), Spain and the United Kingdom (161,000 people each), France (118,000), Austria (92,000).

Rome handled the flow discreetly. Given the importance of numbers, a system has been set up that integrates the one normally provided for refugees and provides for various forms of complementary support. In the first instance it is up to the prefectures to verify the availability of housing through the Cas network (Extraordinary reception centres); this is joined by the Sai network (Reception and integration system, the latter managed by local authorities).

The figures collected by Anci, the association of Italian Municipalities, for Wired differ negligibly from those of the United Nations. According to the institution (which incorporates data from the Civil Protection) 173,645 refugees would have reached the boot after the Russian attack: 92,353 women, 49,444 minors, 31,848 men, as we said, mostly elderly. “Never four thousand places made available by the Municipalities have not yet been refinanced”, attacks the delegate to Immigration and mayor of Prato Matteo Biffoni. “From an economic-financial point of view, the expenses incurred by the Municipalities starting from 31 December are not based on any type of documentary reference – goes on – but on reassurances that we, in agreement with Civil Protection and the Ministry of the Interior, have taken the risk of providing”. In practice, in the absence of a formal commitment, the fear of the mayors is that the money will not arrive and the charges will remain on the municipal coffers.

Temporary protection

For those who have come from Ukraine since the beginning of the war, the government guarantees temporary protection until 4 March 2023, by decree renewable for one year. This status ensures health care with the same protections as Italian citizens but also the possibility of carrying out subordinate work activities (even seasonal) or self-employed, attend a professional training course, carry out an internship. The application is submitted through the police headquarters, which issue a tax code through which a dedicated platform can be accessed (here the handbook of the Civil Protection).