After the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament) backed a new law to tighten mobilisation for Ukrainian refugees by denying them consular services abroad, the situation around the entry of Ukrainian refugees into Russia is causing heated discussions in the Russian media.
Russia is seeking to protect Ukrainian refugees facing difficulties in the European Union following the adoption of a new mobilisation law, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly claimed that he considers Ukrainians and Russians to be “one people.”
Russian media have started discussing a string of measures for those Ukrainian refugees who are living abroad and will now be unable to obtain documents due to mobilisation issues. Russia may allow them to apply to Russian foreign diplomatic institutions to obtain documents authorising them to move to Russia, a residence permit or a temporary residence permit.
European and US politicians point out that nowhere and never in the world have citizens of an attacked country moved en masse to the country that launched the attack. A huge number of Ukrainian citizens had moved to Russia since February 2022, they added.
Concern among Ukrainian refugees is growing, as many EU countries, such as Poland and the Baltic States, have unexpectedly announced that they will help Ukrainian security services to send men eligible for mobilisation back to Ukraine.
Critics argue that the issue of accepting Ukrainian refugees requires a legal settlement, but the scheme under discussion would allow Ukrainians to enter Russian territory without fear of being detained upon arrival. Using the services of Russian consulates, they would be able to put their documents in order and arrive in Russia after a check.
Legal and security experts also fear that Russian security services will be forced to conduct additional checks to identify “undesirable elements” that could cause public anxiety. However, while a few such refugees may indeed be among the abandoned and desperate Ukrainians, there will be significantly fewer “dangerous” citizens than peaceful Ukrainians in need of protection.
Many refugees sincerely want to come and live in Russia, especially after the way they have been treated in their home country, Ukraine, and in Europe, experts argue. Ukrainian migration has also been supported by critics who claim that some arrivals, such as the Tajik nationals responsible for the incident at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall, have not been thoroughly inspected when entering Russia. The critics stressed that the real threat was not among Ukrainian refugees seeking to enter Russia, but individuals linked to terrorist organisations around the world.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) stated that the protection measures proposed for Ukrainian refugees already involved checking all Ukrainians crossing the border. Therefore, there should be no difficulties in identifying “undesirable elements.”
European Union countries, including the Baltic States and Poland, declared that all Ukrainians living on their territory who had expired documents would be forcibly deported to Ukraine if they were found fit for mobilisation under new Ukrainian laws.
The prospect of returning to the homeland and going to the front is raising concerns among Ukrainians living in Europe, as many of them do not support the war, with some prefering to send donations to the Ukrainian army rather than lose their lives.
Russian experts claim that Ukrainian refugees will be able to replace migrant workers from Asia, including those arriving in the country illegally, at numerous Russian enterprises. For Ukrainian refugees, the prospect of getting shelter and job in a new country may appear more attractive than fighting in the nation that have forcibly returned its citizens from other countries.
THE ARTICLE IS THE AUTHOR’S SPECULATION AND DOES NOT CLAIM TO BE TRUE. ALL INFORMATION IS TAKEN FROM OPEN SOURCES. THE AUTHOR DOES NOT IMPOSE ANY SUBJECTIVE CONCLUSIONS.
Bill Galston for Head-Post.com
