Russian war of aggression
Ukrainian women between integration and homesickness
A visitor walks past a sign from the Ukrainian Coordination Center initiative in the Office for Multicultural Affairs in Frankfurt am Main. photo
© Frank Rumpenhorst/dpa
Even six months after the beginning of the war, Ukrainian women can still be seen at German train stations, often accompanied by children. Some of them are on their way back – often with anxious hearts.
Half a year after the start of the Russian war of aggression, some of the refugees from Ukraine have returned to their embattled homeland – despite the associated risks.
According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, there are still no reliable figures on how many of the predominantly female refugees have taken this path back. Some moms have been debating back and forth over the past few weeks about returning for the start of the school year. Is the school at home undamaged? Can the classrooms be used, or are displaced people possibly still living there?
It is known that since the beginning of the war on February 24, 965,000 people who came to Germany because of the war in Ukraine have been recorded in the central register of foreigners. Of these, 97 percent are Ukrainian citizens. According to the UNHCR, around 3.8 million war refugees have returned, at least in part, to Ukraine. Most of them travel via Poland.
feeling of brokenness
Those who have stayed in Germany often suffer from a feeling of being torn apart. Here are the new challenges: learning German, finding an apartment, looking for a job. There the relatives and friends and questions like: Is the old job still there, your own apartment?
In general, those who come from one of the areas that were badly damaged or occupied by Russian troops think less often about returning to Ukraine soon or at least making short visits to their families than people who last lived in the capital Kyiv or in the west of the country .
One of the two Ukrainians who stayed with Robert Heycke’s family in Berlin-Steglitz would also like to travel to Kyiv for a week to visit her father who is suffering from heart disease in the hospital. At the job center, however, she was told that this would not be possible in the first three months after registering – even though her German language course had not yet started.
Integration and initial orientation courses
According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, 144,164 people nationwide took part in integration courses last week. 57 percent of them came from Ukraine. While the two Ukrainians from Berlin-Steglitz have Germans at their side to help them with dealings with the authorities, other refugees have to deal with foreign bureaucracy on their own.
The demand for so-called initial orientation courses, where the first knowledge of German is taught and an overview of life in Germany is given, has risen sharply due to the arrival of the Ukraine refugees, as a spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior reported on request. Instead of the usual 300 courses, an average of 800 are currently taking place.
At the end of May, the number of Ukrainians in Germany who were subject to social security contributions was around 84,000 – an increase of 26,500 since February. More recent figures are not yet available from the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. In mid-July, around 454,000 Ukrainian citizens received benefits under Book II of the Social Code, ie are Hartz IV recipients.
First a residence permit for one year
In March – just a few days after the start of the war – the states of the European Union agreed to apply the so-called mass influx directive to refugees from Ukraine. This stipulates that those seeking protection do not have to apply for asylum, but first receive a residence permit for one year and are allowed to work. Those who did not find work immediately received benefits from the social welfare office under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act.
Since June 1, the job centers in Germany have been responsible for Ukrainians. They arrange courses, take care of the recognition of foreign qualifications and further training, point out vacancies and ensure that those entitled to receive basic security benefits. From the point of view of the German Association of Cities, the changeover from the social and immigration offices to the job centers was complex, but overall it went very well.
These days, many of the war refugees are concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use the Ukrainian Independence Day this Wednesday as an opportunity for increased attacks. Since the further development of the war is difficult to predict, there is also some understanding among the administrative staff for “escape commuters”. EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson also stressed earlier this month that it was important that those who returned permanently to Ukraine were also welcome back in the EU should the situation deteriorate.