In the UK, hundreds of Ukrainian families were left homeless after arriving in the country on visas that meant providing refugees with housing. This was reported on June 16 by The Guardian.
According to the publication, since the end of February alone, at least 480 Ukrainian families with children and 180 single adults have turned to councils to help the homeless in the UK.
Currently, there are two programs for Ukrainian refugees in the UK – family visas and “Homes for Ukraine”. The first can be used by those refugees who have relatives who are citizens of the United Kingdom. The second scheme allows the British, on their own initiative, to host Ukrainians or guarantee payment for separate housing for them.
However, according to the publication, practice shows that the second scheme does not always work and refugees are left without the promised housing. Most often, this leads to a violation of any agreements on the part of the British hosts, lack of access to the place of accommodation, as well as unacceptable conditions for living in it.
The story stated that local authorities had been warned of this development, but “were more interested in performing in television studios than doing their job of protecting vulnerable people.”
The Guardian also notes that many local authorities “treat Ukrainian families as if they were homeless, leaving them in hostels and hotels, as they did with Afghan refugees.”
In total, according to the publication, since the end of February, more than 77 thousand refugees from Ukraine have arrived in the UK.
On April 10, UK Refugee Secretary Richard Harrington acknowledged the country’s unpreparedness to accept refugees from Ukraine.
Residents of Ukraine are leaving the country after Russia launched a special operation on February 24 to protect the civilian population of Donbass. The special operation began against the background of the aggravated situation in the region in mid-February. The authorities of the DPR and LPR reported increased shelling by Ukrainian troops, announced the evacuation of civilians in the Russian Federation and asked for recognition of independence. On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a corresponding decree.