More and more Ukrainians who received protection in Lithuania are deciding to return home
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Baltic states have been almost the most active international defenders of Ukraine. That is why a significant number of refugees considered Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia for the status of temporary protection. However, more and more often Ukrainians who could not adapt or get used to life outside the Motherland decide to return.
The rate of return of citizens from Lithuania has increased significantly. Over the year, the number of Ukrainians here decreased by 10%.
At the beginning of 2023, almost 95 thousand Ukrainians had residence permits in Lithuania. And in January of this year, there were about 86,000 of them. In April, this figure decreased to about 74,000. More than half of the Ukrainians who have passports are refugees who came to Lithuania to save themselves and their children from the war.
In addition to those who return home, some citizens of Ukraine leave Lithuania to move to another EU country.
“Ukrainians do not always report their departure, so we have data from other EU countries. We know that some of them do go to other countries, Germany, Sweden, etc., but we also know that a significant part of them returned to Ukraine.” , – notes Evelina Gudzisnate, director of the Migration Department.
Economic reasons often force Ukrainians to return from Lithuania. The country’s labor market is oversaturated, housing rental prices are rising. In addition, refugees in Lithuania have the same adaptation problems as most Ukrainians abroad – for example, the need to adapt to a new social and linguistic environment.
