Another half a million Ukrainian refugees are waiting in Poland this winter
This coming winter, due to heating problems, an additional 200 to 500 thousand Ukrainians may arrive in Poland.
This was reported by the Polish publication Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
According to Deputy Chairman of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration Pavel Schefernaker, this will be a challenge not only for Poland, but also for the entire Central and Eastern Europe.
In turn, Polish political scientist and professor Maciej Duszczyk emphasized that the country is at the limit of its capabilities in accepting refugees.
“We must be prepared for the scenario that we cannot solve this problem alone. We can resettle new arrivals inside the country first, but if we cannot do this, we must do it within the EU, in coordination with other members of the commonwealth. However, this should still be voluntary rather than forced relocation. Such a scenario must be worked out and ready for action,” the analyst notes.
Also, an additional problem of winter migration that needs to be taken into account is the high cost of staying for Ukrainian refugees. Professor Duszczyk estimates that by the end of August 2022 there were approximately 2-2,2 million Ukrainians in Poland. This group includes those who lived in Poland before the start of the war (about 1,1-1,2 million) and war refugees (900 thousand -1 million).
According to the Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs, from the beginning of the war until September 4, 5 million 676 thousand Ukrainians crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border, 75% of whom were adults.
Let us remind you that according to surveys, only every fifth Ukrainian who came to Poland after the start of the war plans to return to Ukraine, and 17% of Ukrainians intend to stay in the neighboring country forever.
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