Refugees from Ukraine: cases in Germany and Austria

Adapting to a new place after fleeing war is an immense challenge. This article discusses the situation of Ukrainian refugees in Germany, the country which has hosted the largest number of them, as well as the story of a woman from Mariupol who now works at a school in Austria.

Forced mass migration

According to UNHCR, as of September 2023, there were more than 6.2 million refugees from Ukraine scattered around the world. More than 4 million have been granted temporary protection in the EU, a special legal status established after the wars in the former Yugoslavia but applied for the first time in March 2022 in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. As of the end of May, according to Eurostat, the largest number of people who received this status were in Germany (1.1 million), Poland (991 thousand), and Czechia (340 thousand). In per-capita terms, the top three hosts of Ukrainian refugees are Czechia (32.3 per 1,000 people), Estonia (26.4), and Poland (26.3), with an EU average of 9.

According to the estimates by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, European countries have already spent more than 56,5 billion euros on Ukrainian refugees.

Germany: the power of the welfare state and civil society

Kateryna Shved is originally from Crimea, but has been living in Berlin for some years. She works for an NGO which helps refugees. She spoke about the German context and the activities of her organization. It is no coincidence that Germany has been a destination for so many people fleeing Ukraine. This country is famous for its welfare system and provides social housing, monthly financial assistance amounting to around 400 euros, language courses, and help finding a job.

In addition to government efforts, there are numerous civic and private initiatives helping refugees in Germany. One of them is Kiron, where Kateryna works. It was founded by German social entrepreneurs in 2015 as Syrian refugees arrived fleeing their country’s civil war. Kiron operates online all over the world and focuses on education for refugees, cooperating with both government agencies including the German Ministry of Education and DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), as well as with private partners (LinkedIn, Coursera, and engineering companies). Thanks to funding from American financial giant J.P. Morgan, the German Postal Lottery, and the Belgian King Baudouin Foundation, Kiron launched the THRIVE program, which helps women study data analysis and enter the IT market in German-speaking countries.

In addition to online courses available at any time, the organization helps refugees navigate the German labor market.

"People are often not sure where to go [to work], and our courses are aimed at providing entry-level training in certain professions such as web designer or tester, or connecting people with internships at large companies to establish contacts with employers. This is especially appealing for engineers and members of technical professions, which are in short supply in Germany," says Kateryna.

The organization is also considering options for cooperation with Ukrainian NGOs to help IDPs.

Despite the synergy of the state and civil society, only 18% of refugees from Ukraine in Germany were employed, according to a study conducted in February-March this year. This is only 1% more than in the summer of 2022. At the same time, three-quarters of them have already completed or are currently attending language integration courses. One of the biggest obstacles is the need for childcare, as the lion's share of refugees are women with children.

In terms of plans for the future, 29% of Ukrainian refugees in Germany want to remain in the country permanently, while another 15% want to stay for a few more years. 31% of respondents want to stay in Germany until the end of the war in Ukraine, and 23% found it difficult to answer this question.

From Mariupol to an Austrian school

Halyna Spryniuk spent three weeks in occupied Mariupol. Apart from the horrific shelling, her family had additional reasons to fear for their safety: Halyna's husband is a Greek Catholic priest. In mid-March, they managed to leave the city and, after passing 18 Russian checkpoints, they reached Ukrainian-held territory. In Mariupol, Halyna worked at the local branch of the Caritas charity organization, helping families in need, and working with children with disabilities as a social worker.

"Every day was busy for me. I lived and did my own thing. I am an active person, and I always had a lot to do. I didn't feel anything bad," says Halyna.

After escaping Mariupol, Halyna arrived in Ivano-Frankivsk in the western Ukraine, where she continued to work at Caritas, while her husband went to Zaporizhzhya to continue his service as a priest and help IDPs. A month later, a family friend who had been living in Austria for many years suggested that Halyna come there. She agreed, and eventually arrived with her two children in a small town near Vienna.

There, the head of local school and his wife, who was also a teacher, helped Halyna to adapt to her new home and settle down. Austria is less generous than Germany in terms of financial assistance. but still provides substantial support for refugees. When Halyna arrived, she received 215 euros for herself and 100 euros for each of her children. Her family was also provided with housing and medical insurance.

Just as in Germany, Austria promotes language integration for its newcomers. Halyna attends German courses funded by the Austrian Integration Fund, which was founded back in 1960 to serve Hungarian refugees who had fled the Soviet invasion of 1956. Halyna also invests much of her free time in learning language on her own – with tutors or volunteers. She now feels more confident with her A2-level German, whereas at the beginning she admits that she was thinking of going back to her husband to Zaporizhzhya.

Finding a school for her son turned out to open up new opportunities for Halyna herself. As she was arranging for her son’s schooling, she mentioned that she was also a teacher, and it turned out that the school was looking for help with the large number of Ukrainian children there. Thus, Halyna worked as a volunteer for 2 months, and after passing two interviews with the Department of Education and verifying her Ukrainian diplomas, she signed an employment contract to teach Ukrainians in junior classes. In the upcoming school year, the Ukrainian children she taught will join their Austrian peers in classes, and Halyna will stay as a teacher.

Halyna speaks of her Austrian surroundings with fondness and finds it difficult to look towards the future: “I live for today and a little bit for tomorrow. And making plans… In 2014, the war came to Mariupol and I was forced to leave. And now again. That’s why I don’t plan anything more.”

In May-June 2014, Mariupol was controlled for almost one month by the Russia-backed “Donetsk People’s Republic,” but was then liberated by Ukrainian forces.