Now, according to the authorities, more than 850,000 refugees from Ukraine have registered in Germany, and they keep arriving.
During a visit to a Ukrainian refugee center in Berlin, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and German Labor and Social Affairs Minister Hubertus Heil expressed the opinion that many Ukrainians will remain in the country even after the military conflict in Ukraine has ended. Berlin's Senator for Social Affairs Katja Kipping agrees with them.
The senator noted that the flow of refugees arriving in Berlin has recently decreased somewhat and is about 500 people a day, but we should expect a surge at any time. The increase in the number of Ukrainian refugees arriving depends as much on developments in Ukraine as it does on those countries that are also receiving them, such as the authorities in Poland.
"If, for example, the Polish government significantly cuts social benefits [for Ukrainian refugees], it could lead to the kind of dynamic that, for example, the numbers would rise again in early July," Kipping noted.
German Interior Minister Faeser also believes that the development of the situation in Ukraine is unpredictable and that the number of refugees may increase, but he believes that the Polish authorities provide Ukrainians not only with jobs, but also with social benefits.
German Labor Minister Heil said that if a cease-fire comes into effect in Ukraine, the rapid return of Ukrainians to their homeland will be hindered by the serious destruction of the territories.
"Even if the war soon comes to a standstill and a cease-fire is reached, the destruction will be so severe that the return of many people in a short time is unrealistic," Heil said.