The number of displaced Ukrainians arriving into Belgium and claiming temporary protection continues to fall, according to statistics published by Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics agency.
At the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which the United Nations estimates has forced an estimated 7.8 million Ukrainian refugees towards the EU and surrounding countries, Belgium issued 25,930 temporary protection statuses to Ukrainians and their families. By September, this number had dropped to 2,170, just 9% of the levels recorded in March.
Belgium has recorded a steady decrease in the last seven months. Between March and April, there were 58% less registrations of Ukrainian refugees. Between May and June, this figure slumped again by 40%.
Credit: The Brussels Times
In September, 22% of Ukrainians applying for temporary protection in Belgium were under the age of 18 and roughly 17% were under 14. Women accounted for 53% of those receiving protection. Children under the age of 14 accounted for between 61% and 87% of all children receiving protection in the EU.
Often overlooked by official refugee statistics, 175 Russians and 15 Belarusians received temporary protection in Belgium between March and August.
As the humanitarian situation stabilised in central and western Ukraine during the summer, the reduction in Ukrainian refugees applying for temporary protection in Belgium has only increased. In September, there were 2,170 new protection applications, down 895 from August.
In August, the number of refugees arriving into Belgium reached “sustainable levels.” The International Organisation for Migration (IMO) estimates that, across Europe, around 6 million Ukrainians have now already returned home. Since February 28, there were 7.5 million individual border crossings to Ukraine.
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Less Ukrainians seek protection abroad
Compared to August, the number of Ukrainians receiving temporary protection fell in 18 of 25 EU Member States. Poland, which once registered over 675,000 Ukrainian refugees in March, saw 13,735 less applicants in September. Other significant decreases were recorded in Germany (-10,160), and France (-2,830).
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Some states are receiving increased applications for temporary protection. Ireland, Denmark, and Cyprus recorded more applications than last month, but levels remain comparatively low.
Credit: Eurostat
As of the end of September, Poland had the highest number of beneficiaries of temporary protection, with a total of 1.4 million registered Ukrainian refugees, followed by Germany (813,725), Spain (145,825), and Bulgaria (134,790).
Ukrainians have been warned against returning home within the context of repeated Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. There are fears that an influx of Ukrainians returning home during the winter period will put excess stress on Ukraine’s critical heating infrastructure during the winter, worsening the humanitarian situation.
“I wanted to ask people not to return. We need to survive the winter. But if people come back, the electrical grid might fail,” warned Iryna Vereshchuk, deputy prime minister, during a Ukrainian TV interview on 25 October. “To return now is to risk yourself and your children, your vulnerable relatives.”
