Russia’s invasion into Ukraine has triggered one of the swiftest exoduses in recent European history. Around 677,000 individuals had fled the country by Tuesday, the largest share to Poland and others headed for Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, and elsewhere. In recent days the border queues have stretched for miles, while trains have been packed. In coming weeks and months, European officials and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees are planning for several million arrivals and overall for as many as 7 million Ukrainians to leave the country.

Flight from Ukraine has stirred reminders of the European refugee and migration crisis of 2015-16, during which time an estimated 2 million people arrived, many of them coming from Syria, Afghanistan, or Iraq.

But there are several crucial differences, as Migration Policy Institute Europe Director Hanne Beirens has made clear. Among them is the comparatively easier path for EU-bound Ukrainians, due both to geographic proximity and rules allowing Ukrainian nationals to travel visa-free for up to 90 days. Later this week, the European Union seems set to consider a first-ever triggering of the Temporary Protection Directive, which could allow up to three years of protection for Ukrainians as a group, bypassing individual asylum determinations that would quickly overburden European asylum systems.

The system was created in 2001 but has never been used—including, notably, during the 2015-16 crisis. Indeed, countries such as Hungary and Poland, which are welcoming displaced Ukrainians, have strongly resisted arrivals of asylum seekers from other parts of the world. The difference in reception is due in part to geopolitical realities as Europe and other regions condemn the Russian invasion. But one cannot escape the notion that perceived similarities in migrants’ backgrounds, race, and other characteristics also impact their differing receptions. Indeed, some Western media organizations have used language that draws a distinction between “civilized” refugees from Ukraine and others from “a developing third-world nation,” for which they have been criticized. Even as hundreds of thousands have departed Ukraine in recent days, Black residents of the country, including African immigrants, have claimed that they have been blocked from leaving.  

Of course, not all Ukrainians who are displaced will travel internationally. Even before the incursion, Ukraine was host to one of the world’s largest populations of internally displaced people, many of whom were dislocated during Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. A few years ago, Marta Jaroszewicz described the challenges of integrating this population in an article for the Migration Information Source. Whatever the outcome of the current conflict, addressing the vast internal and international displacement will be a pressing concern for years to come.

Russian advancement into Ukraine has been rapid, if not without setbacks. But no one knows what the future will bring. What is certain, however, is that the impact on individuals caught up in the violence will be profound, as will it be for their families, friends, and associates abroad. The broader European and international reception and protection systems will also be challenged in coming weeks and months. Russia’s incursion into Ukraine was quick; the resolution promises to be anything but.

Best regards,
Julian Hattem
Editor, Migration Information Source
[email protected]