Impact of the russian-ukrainian war on migration processes in the region

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to identify some problematic aspects of the migration processes that resulted from the large-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as to identify possible ways to address these problems. Methods. A method of content analysis of existing publications over the past few years has been used, which have been published in the mass media and address the problem of migration processes around Ukraine. Also, a statistical method was used, which analyzed official statistics for 2020-2021 and the first half of 2022, collected by border institutions of Ukraine, Moldova and other countries, adjacent to Ukraine. Results. The Russian-Ukrainian war declared by Russia in 2022 has a significant impact on migration processes in this region. It has influenced both the qualitative and the quantitative characteristics. The traditional and already habitual migration of citizens from other continents has been completely replaced by the mass movement of Ukrainian citizens to neighboring countries in search of international protection. At the same time, military operations continue and therefore migration flows are consistently high. The simultaneous mass movement of people across the State border leads to an accumulation of people at checkpoints and the need for their rapid registration and evacuation from territories dangerous for their lives. This was difficult for Ukraine, so it had to simplify border control procedures and stop entering information on border crossings into the relevant database, as well as simplifying the availability of passport documents for border crossing. However, other problems may arise when simplifying classic border control procedures. We are talking about the possibility of criminals escaping from the search and the possibility of trafficking in persons, including children. Conclusions. The solution of the problem of fast and safe border crossing by the seekers for asylum could be implemented via joint border control of people on the territory of a neighboring State, where there are safer conditions for processing migrants. It will also provide an opportunity for representatives of the two countries to simultaneously check the problems that may arise during border control.