Czechia can accept only tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees this winter

The Czech Republic is expecting a new migration wave from Ukraine throughout the winter, but it will only be able to accept tens of thousands of refugees.

This was stated by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Vít Rakušan, Czech Radio reports.

According to the minister, this is due to the lack of accommodation, as well as the limited capabilities of the social health care systems.

Rakušan added that there are now between 355,000 and 390,000 Ukrainians remaining in the Czech Republic, that is, from 3.4% to 3.7% of the Czech population. The number of issued temporary protection visas has already reached 460,000.

At the same time, as the minister noted, the current influx of refugees is small, and no region is being overburdened.

"Currently, we are not facing a large wave of refugees. A certain number of people are arriving, but it should be noted that many have already left the territory of the Czech Republic. They returned to Ukraine and are waiting for what will happen in the winter," Rakušan explained.

Currently, the country's government is preparing a scenario of crisis accommodation, since there will be no other type of housing available, according to Rakušan. Therefore, the minister noted that help is required of the entire European Union and member states that are not as overburdened as the Czech Republic.

As previously noted, about 4.3 million refugees arrived in the EU, but about a fifth of them have already returned to their homeland. From the Czech Republic, which issued more than 450,000 visas to Ukrainian refugees, about 20% returned to their home country.