Ukrainian Refugees Refuse to Leave Polish All-Inclusive Hotel, Report Says

According to the latest estimates of the United Nations Refugee Agency, there are around 4.7 million Ukrainian refugees registered for temporary protection in the EU.

Ukrainian refugees in Poland protested against being evicted from the all-inclusive hotel where they were staying free of charge, according to Polish media.

"Free accommodation in a hotel complex in the heart of Poznan apparently appealed to refugees from across the eastern border. After learning that they needed to leave the facility because of planned renovations, the 'guests' staged a loud protest," the article said.

Refugees from Ukraine perceived the need to rent housing by themselves as "harm done to them". 250 Ukrainian refugees lived in the hotel, reports said, adding that similar incidents involving Ukrainian refugees have occurred elsewhere in Poland.

Earlier, Jakub Kumoch, head of Poland's Foreign Policy Bureau, said that a new flow of refugees from Ukraine is expected in Poland this winter.

In October, the EU's Home Affairs Commissioner, Ylva Johansson, said that measures aimed at giving Ukrainian refugees the right to stay within in the EU had been prolonged until March 2024.

On 8 August, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, reported that 7.6 million Ukrainian nationals had entered the EU from Ukraine and Moldova since the beginning of Russia's special operation at the end of February, and 4.7 million Ukrainians had been recorded leaving the EU in the direction of Ukraine during the same period.

At the same time, refugees from the Middle East continue to arrive in Europe and they also need help. But in some European countries, there is a growing impression that governments treat Ukrainian refugees better than migrants from the Middle East. In September, Friedrich Merz, leader of Germany's opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, accused Ukrainians of "welfare tourism".