“Motivation instead of coercion”: how Ukraine can get its citizens back
28 May 2025 16:31
Ukrainians who live abroad today have mostly left the country not of their own free will. They have lost their homes, jobs, and often their relatives. Therefore, the state should not force, but motivate them to return. Violetta Dvornikova , Head of the European Association of Women of Ukraine, Advisor to the VRU Commissioner for Human Rights , writes about this in her author ‘s column, "Komersant Ukrainian" 
informs.
According to her, the basis of the state strategy for the return of Ukrainians home should be a clear action plan for involving the competencies and capabilities of various specialized ministries.
“The Ministry of Social Policy and Employment Centers here have full authority and capabilities to conduct appropriate analytical work and form a list of areas and vacancies for those who return home. The list should be public,” says Violetta Dvornikova.
No less important encouraging factor is housing. The “eOsel” program is a positive example, but additional initiatives are needed, in cooperation with local construction businesses, which would solve the problem of lack of housing for those who left.
It is also worth taking care of children, ensuring that they have educational benefits. After all, despite the years of emigration, Ukrainian children continue to enroll in the domestic ZVO, says Violetta Dvornikova. And the MES can create certain benefits or special conditions for enrollment of such children, instead of discouraging them from the idea of returning home.
Violetta Dvornikova, Chairperson of the European Association of Women of Ukraine, Advisor to the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, said
“… observing individual actions of our MES sometimes gives the impression that educational officials are trying to do everything to make sure that our young people who left never return to Ukraine. Now I do not go into details, but the motivation of applicants to return to study at Ukrainian universities, benefits, simplified conditions of admission, all this today – in the hands of the CMU”, – says the expert.
“But the main factor for Ukrainian migrants to return home is the feeling and full understanding that they are needed here, that they are welcome here,” Violetta Dvornikova adds.
She also urged not to divide Ukrainians into “their own” and “strangers”, but to build a dialog based on mutual respect.
“Because only in mutual respect and mutual support lies a real chance to preserve their strong ties with the homeland,” she summarized.
According to the estimates of the Ministry of Unity of Ukraine, there are about 7.5 million Ukrainians abroad now. Of these, 5.2 million are in the countries of the European Union.
At the same time, according to Eurostat estimates, as of January 2025, there were almost 4.3 million citizens in the EU countries who left Ukraine because of the war.
In May this year, the Government allocated 150 million hryvnias from the state budget tothe Ministry of National Unity to facilitate the return of Ukrainian refugees from abroad .
Ministry of National Unity
Late last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky first announced the creation of the Ministry of Unification of Ukrainians. Its purpose: to “purposefully” work with the “multi-million Ukrainian community” abroad.
As a result, the ministry was named the Ministry of National Unity and was created on the basis of the Ministry for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, but its functions were supplemented by work with Ukrainians who temporarily reside outside Ukraine.
The head of the ministry is the former chairman of the board of Naftohaz Ukrayiny, Oleksiy Chernyshov.
According to Chernyshov’s forecast, after the end of the war, about 30 percent of those people who left the country after the start of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation will return to Ukraine.
At the same time, according to the minister, Ukraine loses about 300,000 people every year for reasons that are not related to the war.
