Embassy: Protection for Ukrainian refugees in Poland not yet extended

The Polish government's extension of refugee protection so far concerns only third-country residents of Ukraine who fled the country, not Ukrainian citizens granted protection under a special law, the Ukrainian Embassy in Poland said, clarifying an earlier announcement.

"Citizens of Ukraine who received temporary protection in Poland on the basis of the Special Law from March 12, 2022... as of Jan. 18, 2024, may stay in Poland under this status until March 4, 2024," the embassy said on social media.

"Further changes will be announced separately."

The extension of protection until March 2025 was provided to third-country citizens or stateless persons who permanently resided in Ukraine at the start of the invasion and arrived in Poland after fleeing the war.

According to the Polish newspaper Gazeta Prawna, the Polish government is working on amendments to the special law to extend the stay for Ukrainian refugees as well.

The document is expected to be submitted to the parliament for approval in the coming weeks.

Poland hosts around 1 million Ukrainians who fled from Russia's war, the highest number of all countries. The U.N. records approximately 6 million refugees residing abroad as a result of Russian aggression.

The EU initially activated the Temporary Protection Directive for Ukrainian refugees in March 2022, shortly after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. The European bloc has extended the measure several times since then, most recently in October 2023.

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The Kyiv IndependentAlexander Query