Czechia expected new wave of Ukrainian refugees amid Russian shelling and winter, but it did not happen, - Interior Minister Rakusan
Czechia had expected an increase in the number of applications for temporary protection from Ukrainians in the second half of November and December, given the intensification of Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. However, the country's Ministry of the Interior has not yet recorded a surge in refugees from Ukraine.
This was stated by Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan on Czech television, reports Evropeiska Pravda, Censor.NET informs.
Rakusan said that no increase in the number of applications for temporary protection from Ukrainians has been recorded so far.
"It turned out that their number has decreased from 2000 per week, which we had in October, to about 1700 per week," the Czech minister said.
Rakusan also said that the Czech Interior Ministry continues to try to support internal migration in Ukraine.
"This means that people who have to leave the eastern part of Ukraine, where the war is really objectively ongoing, should be able to move to the western part of Ukraine, which logistically can still withstand it," the Czech official said.
As of now, there are 386,782 Ukrainians with temporary protection in Czechia. The Czech Ministry of the Interior estimates that about 60% of refugees plan to stay in Czechia after the war ends.
