When Russian rockets hit Ukrainian cities, millions of people were forced to flee, not knowing what lay ahead. Then, in the terrifying year 2022, Europe opened its borders, governments announced unprecedented support, and ordinary people volunteered to help in whatever way they could. But now everything has changed. Financial assistance is being reduced or canceled altogether, and free housing is almost non-existent. Jobs are already filled, and competition in the labor market is increasing every day. The question “Why don’t Ukrainians return home?” is being asked more and more frequently in the European media.
Some politicians are already openly declaring that it is time for Ukrainian refugees to return to their homeland. Local residents, who sympathized yesterday, today express dissatisfaction – they say that resources are not unlimited, and their own problems have not disappeared. Is it war fatigue, an economic crisis or growing discontent among the local population? And the main question is what to do with Ukrainians who cannot return, but do not know whether there will be a place for them where they were welcomed yesterday?
Hospitable Europe in the first years of the war
With the start of a full-scale invasion in 2022, millions of Ukrainians were faced with a choice: stay under fire or go into the unknown. Then Europe opened its borders and hearts to everyone. People took refugees into their homes, governments provided financial assistance, companies offered jobs.
According to the official data According to the State Border Service, during the three years of the full-scale war, about 3 million citizens did not return. This figure is close to the total for the period from 2011 to 2021, which is 3.3 million people. Last year, 2% of Ukrainians who went abroad did not return to Ukraine – that’s 443,000 people. This indicator is 3.3 times higher than the level of 2023, when the difference between those who left and those who returned was only 134 thousand people. The largest number of those who did not return in 2024 was recorded in June – 194 thousand people.
The main part of the refugees went abroad in the first half of 2022. In March of the same year, about 44% of Ukrainians who are still abroad left the country, in April – June – 24%, and in July – September – 12%. Although the flow of new refugees is now negligible, the length of stay abroad of those who left after the war began is steadily increasing.
Despite the advantages of temporary protection, which provides social support and quick access to the labor market, Ukrainians face numerous difficulties. The biggest challenges are related to finding stable housing and work, accessing health services and overcoming the language barrier. It seemed that the support would be long lasting. But today the situation has not changed in favor of Ukrainians.
How the attitude towards Ukrainian refugees abroad has changed
If earlier Ukrainians could count on monthly payments, housing subsidies and social benefits, now more and more countries are cutting this assistance or canceling it altogether. For example, in Germany, the requirements for receiving payments have become stricter, in Poland, free accommodation in state centers has been canceled, and in the Czech Republic, financial support has been significantly limited.
Poland became the first refuge for the majority of Ukrainians, accepting more than 1.5 million refugees. At first, the help was unprecedented: housing, financial payments, health insurance. But today the situation is different. Financial support was cut, and free housing for refugees was abolished.
The Polish government is also actively discussing a draft law that could block access to free medical care for Ukrainian refugees if they do not pay insurance premiums. This can be a real shock for those who do not yet have a stable job or live only on social assistance.
Previously, Ukrainians who received temporary protection in Poland had the right to free medicine on a par with citizens of the country. But now the government wants to impose stricter rules. No insurance premiums – no free medicine. If the refugee does not work and does not pay into the health care system, he will have to pay for the treatment himself. Emergency care will remain, but the rest of the services will be paid. This means that a routine doctor’s visit, examination, or routine treatment can become a problem. Children, retirees, and people with chronic illnesses who can’t work and can’t afford insurance will be the hardest hit.
Poland is taking such a step because the country’s healthcare system is currently overloaded. Polish hospitals are already struggling to cope with the influx of patients, and local residents are increasingly complaining about queues and a lack of resources. Expenses for Ukrainian refugees have become a significant burden on the country’s budget, so the economic situation forces the government to reduce these expenses.
After the change of government, the issue of supporting Ukrainians became more controversial – there is a constant request to limit aid in society. Yes, for data sociological research, 88% of Poles oppose further social payments to Ukrainians. Ordinary Poles increasingly express dissatisfaction because, in their opinion, Ukrainians take their jobs, rent housing, and salaries remain low.
The Czech Republic also actively helped at first, but today such an initiative has changed somewhat. Financial payments have been significantly reduced, and in order to receive assistance, you must prove that you really cannot work. Housing is no longer free. Ukrainians are relocated from hotels, forcing them to look for a place to live on their own. Social tension is also growing. Although the Czech Republic has low unemployment, many Ukrainians work in services, construction and industry, which creates competition with local residents.
Germany has long remained one of the most attractive countries for Ukrainians due to high social benefits. But since 2024, the situation has become more complicated. The authorities introduced stricter rules for receiving aid. Now you need to confirm that you are actively looking for work or prove that you really cannot work.
Political statements about the reduction of support are being heard more and more often. Some parties directly call to review the status of Ukrainians and do everything possible to return them home. Access to housing has become more difficult, because the rental market is oversaturated, and apartment prices are rising.
Austria accepted Ukrainians less actively than neighboring Germany, but also provided social guarantees. Now the situation is not so rosy. Payments are being cut, and it is more difficult for newcomers to get help. Ukrainians are obliged to look for work more actively. Increasingly, there are cases of tension in society due to the lack of housing and competition in the labor market.
Ukrainian refugees in Vienna are facing new difficulties in getting basic assistance as social services have stepped up checks. This has caused concern among displaced persons.
According to the head of the Vienna Social Security Fund (FSW), Martyna Plohowitz, the inspections have become more thorough due to the violations of the rules for receiving benefits. All recipients are now required to register with the Employment Service, except for the elderly or carers. Of the 14,000 Ukrainians who receive basic assistance in Vienna, about 8,000 are of working age.
Some refugees complain that they have not received payments since December and are forced to turn to charities for free food and meals. For those who rent housing in the private market, a monthly compensation of 330 euros is provided. Adults are paid 260 euros for food and hygiene products, children – 145 euros. The checks will last several weeks, after which payments will be resumed subject to proof of need. At the same time, the Ukrainian community calls on the local authorities to take into account the difficult situation of refugees, especially families with children.
Since the beginning of the war, the USA has provided Ukrainians with the U4U (Uniting for Ukraine) program, which allows them to temporarily live and work in the country. But this program does not provide for social benefits, so Ukrainians need to find work and housing immediately. As of 2025, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the temporary suspension of the U4U program, which provided Ukrainians fleeing the war with the opportunity to obtain asylum in the United States, until all previously submitted applications are processed. According to the US government, as of September 2023, more than 150,000 Ukrainians have used this program. Its freezing can significantly affect those who have already planned to move or are in the process of finding a sponsor. Rents are high and health insurance is too expensive. Many Ukrainians cannot obtain permanent status. And those who still managed to get their dream program code do not know what will happen after its expiration date.
Despite all the difficulties, the hardest part is experiencing social tension in a foreign country. If at the beginning of the war, the majority of Europeans supported the Ukrainians, now more and more often you can hear comments addressed to refugees in the style: “We helped them, now let them fend for themselves” or “Why are they still here?”. These are not just words – in some countries, the number of attacks on Ukrainian refugees has increased, and politicians have begun to use the topic of Ukrainians in their election campaigns, talking about the burden on the budget and the protection of local interests.
The situation indicates that the golden age of unconditional support has passed. Ukrainians in Europe and the USA will have to adapt, look for work, solve housing issues and decide on the future. The time of easy solutions is over, and everyone has to find their way in new, more complex realities.
Today, there are three possible options for Ukrainians abroad:
- adapt to new conditions;
- try to find another country to live in;
- return home
If you plan to stay in the EU, you should look for work, housing and self-supporting opportunities, because social assistance will only decrease and eventually disappear altogether.
You can try to find another country. After all, some Ukrainians are already going from Poland or Germany to Canada or Great Britain, where there are still state support programs.
The option of returning home is also not suitable for everyone. Many Ukrainians lost their homes and property that they had earned for years. Their cities and villages have been completely and irreversibly destroyed. Only some Ukrainians return if their cities have become relatively safe.
At the same time, doubts are creeping in, whether the Ukrainian government itself, persistently trying to return its citizens home, is putting pressure on the EU countries. Kyiv demands that European partners reduce support for Ukrainian refugees, and that men of conscription age be denied consular services altogether. On this indicates and EL Pais publishing house. In fact, it is an attempt to close all doors, forcing people to return not because they want to, but because they simply have no other way out.
However, the state itself did nothing to create the conditions under which returning home would seem like a logical and safe decision. Ukrainians still do not see real guarantees of care for them. There are no clear support programs for IDPs, solutions to housing problems, or clear prospects. The government believes that it is enough to simply cut off the retreat routes. But that’s not how it works. People return to places where they feel needed and protected, not to places where they are forced not to run away. Ukrainians, who have already risked everything, fleeing from shelling in that terrible year of 2022, are unlikely to be afraid of the difficulties that await them in a foreign country.
It should be understood that Europe is no longer what it was in 2022. This does not mean that the support is no longer there, it is just that it has become significantly less and it is no longer unconditional. It is obvious that the time when it was possible to rely only on state aid is passing. Ukrainians will have to adapt quickly, look for work, make plans for the future and make choices on which their lives depend. Because the doors that were wide open yesterday are gradually closing today.
