War of Ukraine Up to 80,000 refugees arrive in Finland from Ukraine, but “The situation is completely different than in 2015”

The head of international disaster relief at the SPR sees the number of refugees as an “insanely big challenge” and fears that the climate for refugees could become even more critical. Three out of four Ukrainian war refugees in Finland currently live in private accommodation.

Finland is preparing for a huge number of refugees, when the Ministry of the Interior estimates on Wednesday that at least 40,000–80,000 refugees may arrive in Finland from Ukraine this year.

By Thursday, after the Russian invasion, about 12,000 Ukrainian citizens had already applied for international protection from Finland. The number is probably higher than this, as not everyone has registered their stay.

This is a huge group of refugees, the size of which is comparable to the 2015 refugee crisis. At that time, about 32,500 people applied for asylum in Finland, which led to serious problems in some places when the authorities were congested.

Could the problems of 2015 be repeated for people from Ukraine as well?

Ministry of the Interior Chairman of the Refugee Coordination Group in Ukraine Minna Hulkkonen would not go directly to compare those fleeing the war in Ukraine with those who came in 2015.

“The situation is completely different in that refugees who came in 2015 were primarily seeking asylum, while now refugees from Ukraine are primarily seeking temporary protection.”

“Besides, half of the refugees who have now arrived are children.”

Neither Deputy Head of the Finnish Immigration Service Elina Immonen sees no direct risk that problems such as the 2015 refugee crisis would recur, at least on the same scale for Ukrainian war refugees.

“The procedures for asylum and temporary protection are different, and no similar individual assessment is made in the process of applying for temporary protection.”

Temporary residence permit means a residence permit issued to Ukrainian war refugees on the basis of temporary protection. The procedure is common to the EU and temporary residence permits are issued for a maximum of one year until 4.3.2023.

Read more: A Ukrainian coming to Finland can apply for a job, but no labor market support is paid – HS lists what everyone fleeing the war is entitled to in Finland

Now The current refugee phenomenon also differs from the situation in 2015 in that, at present, 75% of those fleeing the war in Ukraine live in private accommodation, whereas in 2015 the pressure was almost exclusively on reception centers.

The desire of Finns to help Ukrainians is currently high. However, can the situation change as the war continues?

“The desire to help has often arisen impulsively and it is possible that accommodating refugees will no longer seem like a good solution in the long run,” says Immonen.

“However, a large proportion of those in private accommodation have stayed with friends and relatives, so the situation would be different if everyone were with unknown helpers.”

Also the capacity of reception centers has been increased. Since the beginning of the war, a total of 22 new reception centers or outlets have been established in Finland.

The number of places has also been increased to 9,600.

About a thousand Ukrainian refugees are currently arriving in Finland every day.

Will there be enough capacity in reception centers in the future?

“The capacity of the reception centers can be scaled as needed,” says Hulkkonen.

In addition, Immonen points out that the power is constantly flowing out of the reception centers as life in Finland settles down.

Although Since 2015, lessons have been learned and plans and preparations for a large number of refugees are at a better level, the situation will not be easy.

At least this is the view of the SPR’s international disaster relief chief Marko Korhonenwho sees the situation as “an insanely big test.”

“The problem, however, is if the war drags on and freezes. For example, clear front lines or ceasefires are emerging, and a large proportion of people will not be able to return to their home areas. ”

“If the Ministry of the Interior’s estimate of the number of newcomers is realized, a huge number of people will be covered by reception services, for example.”

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Korhonen considers extensive home accommodation to be a good opportunity for refugees in principle, but he also sees it as a risk factor as the crisis continues.

“It’s a different thing to accommodate people for a month than half a year”

From Ukraine preparing for the large number of people arriving is made difficult by the rapidly changing and unpredictable situation regarding the war in Ukraine.

“Right now, many people’s idea is that the war will end at some point, after which they can return to Ukraine,” says Korhonen.

“Problems can come if the war drags on and freezes. For example, clear front lines or ceasefires are emerging, and a large proportion of people will not be able to return to their home areas. ”

The current desire to help in Finland may also change as the situation becomes chronic.

The Finns are now united behind Ukraine and the refugees from Ukraine. The situation in 2015, on the other hand, severely divided society

“If the situation continues and a large number of Ukrainians stay in Finland, we will start talking about family reunification and wider integration, for example.”

“Then the atmosphere can change in a more critical direction.”

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