This is why refugees are returning from Budapest to Ukraine in large numbers
People working for charity and non-governmental organisations have been reporting that Ukrainian refugees are travelling back to their homeland in large numbers.
Hvg reported that, according to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, only last Sunday, approximately 22,000 Ukrainians arrived back in their homeland, as opposed to the 33,000 thousand people who have fled Ukraine.
Since the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine started back in February, approximately four million people have left their homeland.
The news outlet writes that the Polish Border Guard reported a total of 421,000 entries toward Ukraine since the start of the military aggression by Russia.
NBC News reported that “aid workers say the problems facing Ukrainians are particularly acute in Hungary where the language is difficult to learn, inflation is skyrocketing, and job opportunities are scarce”.
“Aid workers and volunteers say that they began to see hundreds of refugees, mostly women and children, trying to re-enter Ukraine toward the end of March. Ukrainian-speaking volunteers at Budapest Nyugati Railway Station say that more and more people are arriving at the station each day looking for help to buy a ticket back to Ukraine, aware that they may not have anything to return to.”
It also becomes evident from the report of NBC that many Ukrainians are considering going home for various reasons. Many refugees have said that they still have family members in Ukraine, and many elderly people were left behind in the havoc of fleeing or due to their age or disability.
Since Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 could not leave the country and were enrolled to defend it against the Russian attacks, refugees consist mostly of women and children.
Many women said that they miss their partners or that, alone, they cannot manage with children, but there are also people who, seeing reports of Ukrainian military successes over in their homeland, think that the conflict will soon end.
NBC also asked the opinion of several experts on forced migration who also underlined that seeing military successes over the internet can lead to a false sense of safety in their homes. Others cannot comprehend living elsewhere, and many had to leave their belongings and relatives behind.
One of the most touching moments was when the news portal interviewed a 32-year-old woman who had waited for the train to travel back to Odesa while telling the reporter that she had seen footage of her hometown over on social media and that it was safe to go back.
Unfortunately, soon after the train began its journey, Russia announced a missile strike against an oil facility in Odesa.
Read alsoGovernment misleading the EU with the number of Ukrainian refugees to get more money?
Source: nbcnews.com, hvg.hu
3 Comments
Compared to the numbers that have left Ukraine as opposed to those who left and are returning there, very few are going back at present. Not ‘large numbers’. The article is misleading.
It saddens me greatly to know that many of the Ukrainian war refugees are returning way too early to their war-ravaged homeland.
When I put myself in the shoes of the said 32-year-old woman my eyes filled with tears (I myself am only a couple of years older than she) because I know the fate that awaits Odessa is going to be the same as that of Mariupol.
I’m also led to believe that a lot of the Ukrainian war refugees are finding it impossible to convert their ₴ – UAH (Ukrainian Hryvnia) to €, or some other European currencies, I hope that’s not the case in Hungary.
If I were in the shoes of officials who have direct contact with those returning to Ukraine, I would feel compelled to warn them that it’s definitely not yet safe to return.
Sad 🙁
The article is almost true. Nearly all are returning because they think it is safe due to the fake news teams of programmers are inventing about Ukrainian successes. I know one such team and I have warned them repeatedly to stop it and put themselves under military intelligence supervision. They will be responsible for many deaths of those who returned because of their fake news!!! Many also here in Ukraine are refusing to leave because they say there is no longer a threat. It is a delusion created by arrogant programmers.