Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Ukraine

Ukraine has for many years been both a transit and destination country for people fleeing persecution and violence in other parts of the world. In 2021, approximately 5,000 asylum seekers and refugees were seeking refuge in Ukraine or in transit to the EU. This new report from Right to Protection (R2P) and HIAS finds that while these displaced people are heterogeneous, they share common vulnerabilities. Having already fled other conflicts or persecution, they do not have a safe home country to return to, may lack documents or even nationality, and are often denied consistent access to legal status due to serious shortcomings in Ukraine’s asylum law and practice.