After Russia launched an attack against their country, millions fled Ukraine to seek refuge in Europe. Initially welcomed with open arms by European nations, they are now seeing the support dwindle – at least when it comes to the benefits offered by host countries.
The European countries are currently deciding on how much money they will spend on Ukrainian refugees. Some of the initial freebies are set to end.
You can’t get any more free rides Starting next month, Germany’s Deutsche Bahn railway company will no longer give free tickets to anyone possessing a Ukrainian passport. It offered transit free of charge to Ukrainian passport holders travelling to Berlin, Dresden Nürnberg, Nuremberg, and Munich in March. You can also get your passport stamped free. “helpukraine tickets” To those who ask for them. New arrivals will continue to be given free rides but the right to free tickets will end. The German government said needy Ukrainians will be receiving social benefits starting in June, so the end of the program won’t restrict their mobility much since they will be able to buy universal €9 ($9.65) monthly tickets for public transport. Germany is not the only European country to have stopped offering free tickets to Ukrainians. Similar decisions have been made by Switzerland, Bulgaria, Poland, Czech Republic and Poland. Poland is offering free train travel to vulnerable Ukrainians such as the elderly, disabled, and women.
Hotels to rent According to reports, popular holiday spots are planning to move thousands of Ukrainian refugees who were staying in hotels on the beachfront. Spain’s tourist season is about to begin and rooms in Spain currently occupied with refugees must be cleared to allow for the arrival of paying guests, many of whom booked months earlier. El Pais reports that up to 12,000 individuals could be evicted. Radio Bulgaria reports that the situation is similar in Bulgaria. Only three hotels located at Sunny Beach Resort will be able to host Ukrainian refugees starting next month. By May’s end, 38,000 refugees were required to evacuate their temporary residences.
Welfare cut Cash aid is being cut by some host nations. Bulgaria’s daily allowance for refugees will be reduced from approximately $22 per head to $8 the next month. Czech Republic no longer pays no-questions-asked $217 per monthly for five month to Ukrainians. The government will deduct the cost of free housing from the first month’s payment and demand proof of need from recipients in subsequent months. Czech officials are encouraging Ukrainians not to work or they will lose their benefits.
Crime resuscitated by the benefits Sometimes, local criminality can be exposed to Ukrainian refugees who are receiving assistance in Europe. Stanimir Stanev, a senior Bulgarian police official, revealed in a report to the country’s parliament this week that cars from Ukraine are being targeted by thieves interested in their license plates. Stanev explained that because the government did not charge road tolls or parking fees to refugees, some thieves are using this opportunity to replace their plates with stolen Ukrainian plates.
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