Conflicts exist within Ukrainian communities abroad.
This is highlighted in a column for Humanitarian Media Hub by Dmitry Lubinets, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ombudsman), based on data he collected during monitoring visits.
“Specifically, monitoring trips showed that there are conflicts among people within Ukrainian communities abroad, including language-related ones,” he notes.
The ombudsman also observed competition between “old” diaspora organizations and new associations of displaced persons. There are also unequal conditions between different regions within the same country—for example, different rules regarding social benefits in Austria or Switzerland. This creates additional tension.
Since 2022, more than 5.8 million Ukrainian citizens have left the country. The largest communities have formed in Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, and Norway.
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