Hundreds of thousands of people have been fleeing the embattled Ukraine to the West for days, and the first refugees have now arrived in Munich. On Monday morning, a bus with people stopped in front of the Salesianum in Haidhausen, who can initially stay there in the youth hostel. The refugees came directly from the Ukrainian-Polish border and were apparently able to travel directly to Munich by bus.
A spokeswoman for the Salesianum said on Monday afternoon that 50 people had originally been announced. In fact, there are now only seven who can stay there for the time being. “We have only just started bringing friends and relatives from Ukraine,” says Sofia Abrashchova, one of the main coordinators of aid from the Munich association Gorod. But now events are happening. Above all, Ukrainians who live in Munich drive towards the border on their own to pick up friends or relatives. In the meantime, even coach companies are said to bring refugees from there to Munich.
Despite this, the situation is still relatively relaxed, at least in Munich, four days after the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine. Both the government of Upper Bavaria and the Munich social department as well as the Munich welfare organizations and voluntary aid organizations have so far assumed that many refugees will initially be able to find accommodation with relatives or acquaintances in the city.
Clubs and politicians ask for support
On Monday, the town hall published an appeal that Munich residents who want to support refugees here at the association “Munich volunteers – we help” can report. Other organizations and institutions are also asking for support, such as the Ukrainian Free University in Munichthe Home Star Clubwho organizes relief supplies for the Ukrainians or that Munich Cultural Center Gorod.
Sofia Abrashchova coordinates the relief efforts near Gorod. “The whole of Germany is trying to help, it’s unbelievable,” says the 25-year-old from Munich, who came with her family from Ukraine when she was a little girl. On Sunday alone, one hundred and fifty volunteers who want to support the relief efforts met. Some are already on their way to the Ukrainian border in private cars to pick up refugees there, and drivers with vans are already on their way to Munich with Ukrainians.
However, most of the people have so far not taken advantage of any public assistance. According to Andrea Betz, head of the Diakonie Munich and Upper Bavaria, only a dozen refugees who applied for asylum arrived at the arrival center on Sunday and Monday. According to the government of Upper Bavaria, there were 52 people in total last week. Some apparently only asked for information about what an asylum procedure would mean. So far, however, Ukrainians have been able to enter the country as tourists for up to 90 days anyway, but according to the current status they will not receive any social benefits.
A wave like the refugee fall of 2015 is not expected
Even if relatively few refugees have arrived in Munich so far, the city, associations and aid organizations are already preparing for the increasing number of people in need of help. Cooperation between Diakonie and Ukrainian initiatives will start this Wednesday in order to be able to react quickly and flexibly to questions relating to refugee aid. The Bavarian Refugee Council wants to establish its own counseling center in the Gasteig cultural center if possible. The city is increasing its offer of overnight accommodation: 500 beds should initially be occupied, after which emergency accommodation in lightweight halls for up to 1000 people would be possible, which is currently being rebuilt.
Experts estimate that while most of the refugees will remain close to their home country of Ukraine, they believe several thousand refugees could arrive in Munich in the coming days or weeks. However, a real wave of ten thousand or more people a day like in early autumn 2015 is not to be expected.