Ukrainian refugees in Poland mull their future

CGTN Europe

Poland has also taken in around one million Ukrainian refugees, one of Europe's biggest refugee populations.  Figures show they're helping to grow the Polish economy. But many are uncertain over when or if they'll ever return home.  CGTN’s  correspondent Aljoša Milenković reports.  Read more ⬇️ https://tinyurl.com/3shn7hcx

Transcript

00:00More Ukrainians are getting jobs in Poland.

00:03Incomes are rising, and they're becoming more settled within communities.

00:08Around half say they're unsure whether to return home.

00:12Inside the Ukrainian home NGO in Warsaw,

00:15refugees seek legal guidance and assistance with daily life.

00:20Here, Ukrainian families weigh their futures as the conflict drags on.

00:25For me, it was very hard in Ukraine.

00:30The pension was around $60.

00:32And here, my wife works, and she earns over $1,100 per month.

00:37Maybe if something is changing in Ukraine, then I will go back.

00:40But otherwise, it's hard.

00:42Many, like Michal, must now balance family needs with uncertainty about peace.

00:48I think the people who are not integrated here in Poland for now,

00:52they're waiting to come back to Ukraine.

00:56And people who have found already a good paid job,

01:01their children go to schools, are integrated in schools,

01:05they plan to go to universities, I think they will stay here in Poland.

01:10According to recent surveys, 20 to 30% of refugees in Poland

01:15say they are unsure about their future plans.

01:18Some have found stability, but still remain uncertain.

01:24Like Veronica, a 63-year-old architect who, when the conflict in Ukraine started,

01:30launched her interior design firm in Poznań.

01:33Deciding between staying in Poland and returning to Ukraine remains a complex issue for her.

01:39Basically, a lot, a lot of things have changed in Ukraine,

01:46and I can't give an answer right away as to where I'll go.

01:49To be honest, I feel comfortable in Poland now, that's a fact.

01:52Of course, I never planned to live abroad, although there were all sorts of opportunities.

01:57But it seemed to me, I am Ukrainian, I will live only in Ukraine.

02:01But this is how it's turned out.

02:04For now, nearly a million Ukrainians in Poland live in limbo,

02:08waiting to see whether peace will come and what that peace might bring.

02:13Aljoš Milenković, CGTN, Poznań.

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