Governments of European countries providing asylum to Ukrainians have already spent more than 43 billion euros

European governments that provide asylum to Ukrainians fleeing Russian aggression have already spent more than 43 billion euros over the past year and a half of full-scale war. According to the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, Poland has received the largest amount of funds.

According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, European governments have provided for Ukrainians by providing them with asylum, cash benefits, housing, medical care, education, food and basic necessities. These countries spent more than 43 billion euros on Ukrainian refugees.

Poland was the most expensive country among European states, allocating more than 12 billion euros. Germany ranks second in terms of spending on Ukrainian refugees, having spent almost 11 billion euros.

The Czech Republic (2.94 billion euros), Spain (2.24 billion euros), France (2.04 billion euros), Romania (1.26 billion euros), Switzerland (1.16 billion euros) and Italy (1.15 billion euros) also spent significantly on Ukrainian refugees.

The study also points to the significant contribution of ordinary citizens to help Ukrainian refugees, in addition to the governments of the European Union.

The Russian Federation's full-scale war against Ukraine has led to the largest increase in the number of people forced to flee their homes in decades due to armed conflict, violence and human rights violations.

In total, there are more than 4 million refugees from Ukraine in the European Union, including a fifth of children. However, only about 1.1 million IDPs from Ukraine have been able to find work.

According to a recent survey, 33% of Ukrainian refugees work in paid positions, while 33% of women do not work because they need to care for children or elderly/sick relatives. In addition, in some countries, Ukrainians do not receive the promised payments due to bureaucratic obstacles.

On July 1, the Czech Republic changed the system of providing state aid to Ukrainian refugees. The new rules provide for the abolition of payments to persons who provide Ukrainians with free asylum, and refugees living in boarding houses must pay for their own housing.