Berlin Struggles to Deal With Influx of Refugees From Ukraine

About 100,000 Ukrainian refugees are currently staying in Berlin, with over three times this amount receiving initial assistance in the city after they entered Germany.

The German capital Berlin is now finding it difficult to accommodate the thousands of Ukrainian refugees who fled to the country amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

In an interview with Bild am Sonntag, Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey said that German cities that constitute federated states – such as Berlin, for example – have nearly exhausted their capacity for accommodation of the Ukrainian refugees.

Gerd Landsberg, Director of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities, echoed Giffey’s concerns, noting that dorms for the refugees now have to be set up in facilities such as gyms.

By now, nearly 340,000 Ukrainian refugees have received initial assistance in Berlin after entering Germany, and some 100,000 Ukrainian refugees are now staying in the city.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine in response to requests for help from Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics.

The ensuing fighting has resulted in a stream of refugees fleeing from the conflict zone to Russia and to Europe.

Ukrainian authorities claimed that at least eight million people fled the country since February, though some of them have already returned.