Since the escalation of the international armed conflict in Ukraine in February ’22, millions of people have fled their homes and the country. The majority of displaced people resided in neighbouring countries, among which Poland, Czech Republic, Republic of Moldova, Romania and Slovakia. But also, Germany, France, United Kingdom and Italy host large numbers of Ukraine refugees seeking safety. Large numbers, over 8 million Ukraine people, have spread over almost all European countries. The number of displaced people from Ukraine registered in Dutch municipalities exceeds 100,000 (October 2023). Because the end of the conflict is not yet in sight, and a relatively small number of them will be able to return in the short term, the number of refugees from Ukraine will remain high for the time being.

Women and children make up the majority; most men remain in Ukraine to serve in the army. Displaced people from Ukraine, unlike other refugee groups, are given a unique residence permit instead of asylum, the right to work and education and a financial allowance.

Many initiatives have been taken to offer hospitality to Ukrainians and organizations have been set up to coordinate reception in host families. The solidarity of the European population in general with the Ukrainian population has been heartwarming and unprecedented. In the Netherlands, never before in recent history did we see such large numbers of people open their homes to receive refugees. Overall, the conflict is publicly perceived as a great shock, and there is a great deal of compassion and a general warm welcome to refugees from Ukraine. It is unclear what this will be like as time goes by, and war may or may not continue and feelings of powerlessness increase. There is a significant chance that displaced people from Ukraine would eventually develop stress-related problems including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or anxiety. According to research, the rate of depression and/or post-traumatic stress disorder in displaced people is around ten times greater than the rate in the general population. Children are at a somewhat reduced risk than peers who have not left war violence, but the risk is still twice as high. In general, the likelihood of psychosocial problems increases with the amount of loss and violence. The future is still very uncertain for many Ukrainians living in the Netherlands and Europe, and many women and children are separated from their male relatives. Since entire cities have been destroyed, not everyone has a place to live or a job to go back to. Responses to loss and grief could follow as well.