Czech president extends temporary legal protections for refugees seeking to return to Ukraine

Czech President Petr Pavel has endorsed modifications to the Lex Ukraine law, which governs the status of Ukrainians who have migrated to Czechia since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This law was first enacted in March 2022, and granted temporary protections, legal status, and access to healthcare to Ukrainian refugees fleeing from Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The amendments will extend temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees in the Czechia until March 2025. Also, they will guarantee financial assistance to refugees with this status, as they seek to return back to Ukraine. The financial support will be available only once, and the payment amount is still undetermined.

As of October, the Czechia has hosted about 359,000 Ukrainian refugees, approximately one-third of whom are legally employed.

The Czechia has been a strong supporter of Ukraine on the humanitarian aid front, as well as militarily and economically. On Dec. 21, Governor Oleh Syniehubov announced that the Czech Republic pledged $10 million in funding to support medical facilities in Kharkiv Oblast.

Borrell: Putin will ‘continue war until final victory’

Russian leader Vladimir Putin “cannot be satisfied with a limited territorial victory” and “has decided to continue the war until the final victory,” the EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, said in an interview with the Guardian on Dec. 24.

The Kyiv IndependentElsa Court