The Ukrainian government is looking for ways to mitigate the negative impacts of the human capital outflow due to the full-scale war. The demographic strategy, developed by the Ministry of Social Policy, identifies the return of Ukrainians from abroad as a priority, including both refugees and those who left Ukraine prior to 2022. It states:
It also notes that the return ‘must proceed in accordance with the main principles of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees: safely and with dignity’. Despite having a sizeable diaspora around the world before 2022, Ukraine lacked a coherent strategy for cooperation with its global community or a separate body to work with Ukrainians abroad. Now, as their numbers grow along with the likelihood that many will remain abroad, the need for a strategy is finally being recognized and articulated by Ukraine’s top officials. A position of ambassador-at-large for global Ukrainians has been created within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the task of working more closely with Ukrainians abroad and developing a diaspora engagement strategy. On 3 December 2024, a separate ministry, called ‘the Ministry of National Unity’, was launched.
However, previous government communications and actions had been judged by the focus group participants to be controversial and not necessarily taking into consideration the situation and needs of Ukrainian refugees. In early 2024, Kyiv faced pushback from Ukrainian refugees and from countries hosting them when it tried to persuade host governments to deny Ukrainians social benefit paymentsor to give that money directly to the Ukrainian state. Many Ukrainians abroad also reacted negatively when restrictions were imposed on access to consular services for Ukrainian men of fighting age, including for those who had left Ukraine before 2022 or who had legal reasons to cross the border under martial law. Since May 2024, to receive consular services, Ukrainian men have needed to provide proof of having updated their details in military enlistment offices (or via the Reserve+ app). The Ukrainian government also sought support from host countries, notably Poland,in helping to bring Ukrainian men back. This approach, however, was viewed negatively by Ukrainians abroad, who perceived it as the government trying to ‘force’ or ‘coerce’ them to return.
Inside Ukraine the issue is divisive too. President Zelenskyy’s 2023 New Year’s Eve speech caused a lot of controversy. ‘I know that one day I will have to ask myself: who am I? To make a choice about who I want to be. A victim or a winner? A refugee or a citizen?,’ he said. For many Ukrainians, the president seemed to be saying that the two identities could not coexist and implying that refugees were not real citizens because they did not live in Ukraine during the war.
People who stayed in Ukraine or returned to the country during the full-scale war, and who live under constant Russian missile and drone attacks, indeed have very different experiences to those of Ukrainians who fled abroad. Those still in Ukraine face life-threatening situations every day. Many have been displaced inside the country. Those who left struggle with other challenges, such as the need to learn a new language and adjust to a new country, to find work and accommodation, and to care for children and older people, often without support networks. The challenges for Ukrainians abroad, however, are often seen as less serious than those endured by people in Ukraine. Ukrainian refugees interviewed for this paper spoke about self-censorship that prevented them from sharing information about the difficulties of their life abroad due to a sense of guilt and a fear of being shamed and misunderstood by people inside Ukraine. Some voiced concerns that they or their children might face negative attitudes if they decided to return to Ukraine. Yet, a recent study by Opora, a Ukrainian non-governmental organization, found no hard evidence of a ‘mutual dislike between Ukrainians abroad and Ukrainians in Ukraine toward each other’.
