A growing number of Russian men are trying to leave their country to avoid being drafted into the army. Many in Germany are willing to grant them asylum. But the Ukrainian community is more than skeptical.
The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and UNICEF have reported that about 234,000 Ukrainian refugees were able to use protection and support services provided by 36 "Blue Dot" hubs across seven countries.
Around 6.6 million Ukrainians have fled abroad since Russia launched its invasion, another 6.6 million have been displaced internally, reports UN migration agency IOM. More than half of all non-EU foreigners who lived in Ukraine six months ago have fled the country.
Around 400 Ukrainians are being housed in a 'container village' on a former runway at Berlin’s disused Tempelhof airport as the German capital struggles to cope with an influx of refugees from the war-torn country. Officials say they are now urgently seeking permanent accommodation before the winter.
Finnish authorities report a record number of people seeking protection in the country after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A further 2,000 refugees from Ukraine are to be accepted in the German state of Saarland, however the ongoing housing crisis is making it harder for the local government to find suitable accommodation.
EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson announced that Ukrainian nationals who opt to go back to their home country while the war with Russia continues are allowed to return to the EU. She added, however, that data on who was coming and who was going was not readily available yet.
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Germany since the Russian invasion in March. They were promised access to housing, financial support and the job market. But things have not been that easy.
Germany hosts more than 900,000 Ukrainian refugees, most of them women and children. While many want to return home, others say they plan on staying. DW spoke with two families in Cologne.
A survey published by UNHCR has found that the majority of refugees from Ukraine hope to return home as soon as possible, but around two-thirds expect to stay in their current host countries until hostilities subside.
This is the story of Vadym, who arrived in Rome from Ukraine with severe burns sustained when trying to save his mother from Russian bombing. He has been released from the hospital and is now thinking about his future and wants to return to his country.
Around half of the Ukrainians who fled to the EU have returned home, and a top official said the resumption of school in September could prompt many more families to make a decision.