After a ceasefire is declared in the war in Ukraine, no Ukrainians in the Czech Republic will receive temporary protection, Interior Minister Vit Rakusan (STAN) told Novinky.cz yesterday.
Even men who already have families in the Czech Republic would not receive automatic protection, but would instead have to apply for residency like other non-EU citizens.
“Whatever the end of the war, no one could come here within the framework of temporary protection after the end of the war,” said Rakusan. “If it were a matter of family reunification, it would have to take place according to the Czech Republic’s current rules for foreigners.”
If a ceasefire is declared or the war ends, temporary protection would expire the very next day for all refugees in the Czech Republic. However, they would be able to remain in the country for a certain period of time, and could apply for temporary residence. If they were from Russian-occupied territory, they could also apply for political asylum, according to Novinky.cz.
In the Czech Republic, temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees is valid until the end of March, but the EU agreed on a one-year extension last year. Temporary protection allows people who have fled from the Russian invasion to access public health insurance, education and the labour market.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February 2022. More than 396,700 refugees were under temporary protection in the Czech Republic this month, according to the Interior Ministry. Of these, 96,700 were children and 17,600 were seniors over 65. There were 171,000 women and 111,400 men of working age.
