Between six and ten million Ukrainians still live abroad, and the Ukrainian government wants them to return, given the country's deep demographic problem

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The Ukrainian government is in favour of the EU member states cutting aid to Ukrainian refugees as a precondition for their return to their homeland, the Spanish newspaper El País writes.

What does Ukraine hope for?

The government is setting up a Ministry of National Unity, which hopes to engage residents abroad and mitigate the demographic crisis to help rebuild the country.

The large-scale invasion by the Russian occupation forces in February 2022 forced millions of Ukrainian citizens to flee the country. Between six and ten million still live abroad, and the government wants them to return, given the country's deep demographic problem.

At the same time, Kyiv is exploring all sorts of solutions. For example, it is advocating that EU members cut aid to refugees and that men of military age should not have access to consular services. people may remain abroad.

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What obstacles could affect Ukrainians?

In a conversation with El Pais, Olha Pishchulina, a sociologist at the Razumkov Analytical Centre, noted that no one knows how the new ministry will encourage the return of refugees: ‘There are still no mechanisms for such a return.’ Security comes first. In addition, refugees would like to see high-quality education and healthcare systems upon their return to Ukraine.

Sociologists estimate that Ukraine will need between 3.1 and 4.5 million workers by 2032 if it is to achieve 7% annual economic growth. The country's post-war recovery will require $411 billion, which is 2.5 times more than the country's GDP before the outbreak of full-scale war.

Amid economic problems, the country is experiencing a record demographic decline: Ukraine is the world leader in population decline, Pishchulina said. For example, in the first 10 months of the year, there were 87,500 newborns against 250,970 deaths, the sociologist said.

Experts add the high cost of renting a home, couples breaking up after a certain period of separation, and the feeling of being an outsider compared to those who stayed and survived the war as obstacles to the return of Ukrainians.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, about 10 million people have left Ukraine since 24 February 2022. Germany and Poland have become the leaders in the EU in hosting Ukrainian refugees, with about 2.3 million Ukrainian citizens who moved after the outbreak of hostilities and received special status.

We remind you! The Ukrainian government has announced the launch of a pilot project to return refugees from abroad.

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