One day after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the security authorities have not yet noticed an increased number of Ukrainian refugees at the German-Polish border. The Tagesspiegel learned this from security circles on Friday morning.
However, there are also no complete controls, since it is an internal EU border – and Ukrainians do not need a visa. Instead, the federal police are on the move to so-called “internal border searches” up to 30 kilometers behind the border in order to check people entering the country from Ukraine and to try to talk to them.
A spokeswoman for the federal police said on Thursday that there was a very close exchange with the authorities and organizations involved, especially with the Polish border guards, the European border protection agency Frontex and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.
The United Nations is preparing for up to four million refugees from Ukraine should the situation deteriorate further. Around 100,000 people are already fleeing within Ukraine and thousands have flowed across the borders to neighboring countries such as Poland, Moldova, Slovakia and Russia, said a spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency UNHCR in Geneva on Friday. UNHCR stands ready to assist. Ukraine has approximately 42 million inhabitants.
The UN children’s fund Unicef is also increasing its presence in the neighboring countries of Moldova, Romania and Poland, as well as in Hungary and Slovenia. Places of refuge for women and children are to be set up along escape routes. According to an expert, convoys are ready in Romania to bring material for tens of thousands of people to Ukraine.
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Exact forecasts of how many refugees could arrive in Germany are currently hardly possible. For Berlin alone, the numbers vary between 5,000 and 70,000.
Berlin’s Senator for Social Affairs prepares accommodation
In Berlin, refugees from Ukraine should initially be accommodated in the arrival center in Reinickendorf. “We expect that they will arrive every day,” said the responsible social senator Katja Kipping (left) on Friday in the rbb info radio. “Just 1,000 kilometers from Berlin, Putin attacked Ukraine in a barbaric act, and we know that people have fled.”
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For the beginning of next week, Kipping announced a “separate arrival structure for refugees from Ukraine.” Until then, the arrival center in Reinickendorf will be available. “Everything is prepared there for the arrival of people from the Ukraine over the weekend,” said Kipping. “It’s only a temporary solution, but we have to be able to act this weekend.”
In the coming week, accommodation should open where the war refugees could stay. “We have a wide variety of properties in a very narrow selection.” Further steps are planned: “We are currently preparing with the Senate that it will be clarified that there is an offer of school and daycare places for the children who are coming with us, and that health care is secured.”
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Issues relating to residence law must be clarified
Kipping pointed out that the issue of residence law also had to be clarified. “The federal government has a duty there. It must state very clearly the legal basis on which the admission takes place,” demanded the Senator for Social Affairs. “Once a person from the Ukraine arrives here and applies for asylum, they can’t simply change lanes, but are included in the asylum right of residence.”
The federal government must decide that. “And there must be a clear regulation from the federal government – we are also committed to this in Berlin – that the people who arrive here also have a work permit,” demanded Kipping. “We do not know how long the war will last and cannot assume that this is only a temporary problem.” She could not give a serious number of how many refugees to expect. “But you have to say there is an incredible dynamic,” said Kipping. “And as the city of Berlin, like every other federal state, we have to adjust to the fact that an enormous joint effort of solidarity is now needed.”
Berlin is building its own arrival structure
The Senate and districts are still looking for accommodation for the war refugees from Ukraine who are expected to arrive in Berlin. According to the social administration, facilities that will only be available to these people are currently not available. “A separate arrival structure is currently being set up in Berlin, and the first accommodation for war refugees will open shortly,” it said on Friday. Until further notice, arriving refugees will be accommodated in the arrival center of the State Office for Refugee Affairs (LAF) at Oranienburger Straße 285 in the Reinickendorf district. This is a “temporary solution”.
A look at the districts shows that the announced acquisition of additional accommodation will be difficult. With Marzahn-Hellersdorf and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, two of twelve districts responded to a request from the Tagesspiegel. Both referred to the responsibility of the country, i.e. the LAF. While Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf did not provide any information on the availability of additional accommodation, Gordon Lemm (SPD), district mayor of Marzahn-Hellersdorf, put the number of places available in his district at 115. According to the LAF, there should be 1,300 across Berlin. 1300 more could be created within four weeks.
Ukrainian interest groups are campaigning for more support
Ukrainian interest groups such as the Central Association of Ukrainians in Germany, based in Berlin, appealed to the Senate and districts to step up their efforts. “We need more support,” said Lyudmyla Mlosch, chairwoman of the association. The approximately 13,000 Ukrainians currently living in Berlin are organizing themselves and, according to Mlosch, could take in a three-digit number of refugees.
“But that won’t be enough, we need thousands,” she said. Viktoria Savchuk, who works for the Center for Liberal Modernity, which works for democracy in Ukraine, said that Ukrainians in Berlin are self-organizing. “People are starting to provide sleeping places in groups on Telegram or Facebook,” Savchuk explained. However, she does not expect that thousands of Ukrainians will be dependent on the help of politics and administration. “Many stay with relatives or friends,” Savchuk said. It is estimated that up to 70,000 Ukrainians could seek refuge in the capital alone.
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Brandenburg has 800 places available for refugees
Brandenburg is also preparing for short-term admission of refugees from the Ukraine with hundreds of initial reception places. “We have 800 free places available for the weekend,” said Interior Ministry spokesman Martin Burmeister on Friday. The places are available in the initial reception center in Eisenhüttenstadt and in the branch office in Frankfurt (Oder). “Should there be a great demand, we are able to expand the capacity at short notice.” This is possible with tents, containers, a gym in Eisenhüttenstadt and the rental of additional properties.
The Brandenburg Ministry of the Interior assumes, however, that the first main burden of refugees will come to Poland and Slovakia. It could also be the case that refugees in Germany initially find accommodation with Ukrainian relatives. There is a three-month visa waiver for Ukrainian nationals in the Schengen area. Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) said on Wednesday on Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb) that according to one scenario, around 400,000 refugees could come to Germany. Of these, Brandenburg would accommodate around 11,000 people according to a key.
Prime Minister expects thousands of refugees
Brandenburg’s Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) assumes that thousands of war refugees from Ukraine will be admitted to the country over a longer period of time. “We are preparing for at least 10,000 people who we have to accommodate from Ukraine in the next few days,” said Woidke on Friday in ZDF’s “Mittagsmagazin”. Since Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is now waging a war against the entire Ukraine, “unfortunately we have to be prepared for a longer period of time and thus also for larger flows of refugees”.
Woidke expects the federal states to coordinate closely on the admission of refugees. “I’m assuming that there will also be a next prime ministers’ conference, where the details will be discussed again,” said the head of government. “It’s all practice, now from the 2015/2016/2017 situation, and these mechanisms have to start again to help people, people in need.” Woidke said there was “huge solidarity” and many offers of help in Brandenburg.
The Prime Minister said that there were agreements with Poland about support and the signal “that we will of course not leave them alone with this number of refugees, but that Germany will do its part and Brandenburg will also do its part”. Woidke is the previous government commissioner for Poland. (with epd, dpa)
