Since the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine a total of 22 607 Ukrainian citizens have fled the country and have registered in Latvia, according to the latest information from the Ministry of the Interior.
16 948 refugees have been given residence permits with employment rights in Latvia and 9 385 have been provided with accommodation with assistance from Civil Protection Committees of different municipalities in Latvia.
Latvian Minister of the Interior Marija Golubeva admitted after a government meeting last week that the number of refugees seeking temporary asylum does not show a tendency to increase. Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš told TV3 programme 900 seconds admitted on Wednesday that the growth rate has become slower and it is not expected to grow rapidly in the next two weeks.
If the war in Ukraine continues and Russia manages to capture more territories, Latvia will have to consider Poland’s practice and settle refugees in gyms and heated tents, the minister said.
In spite of the aforementioned, however, the minister said the government should start thinking about providing aid to the refugees that have decided to stay in Latvia for longer than three months. It is already clear Latvia will have to start providing aid to the people who fail to find jobs on their own. The exact number of these people will be known in two months. By then the government’s realistic support for these people should become clear.
At the same time, the ministry said Ukrainian residents who have a biometric passport and do not require social aid or assistance with accommodation are allowed to stay in Latvia for up to 90 days a year without informing state institutions about this.
It was also reported previously that if 30 000 Ukrainian refugees arrive in Latvia, seven biggest cities would have to resettle a total of 14 876 people together, and most of them would go to Riga, according to the government’s approved rules On the Number of Ukrainian Civilians to be Resettled in Municipalities previously prepared by the Ministry of the Interior.
The number of refugees to be resettled in municipalities is divided in proportion to the population number in each territory.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine millions of people have been forced to leave their homes and their country, fleeing the war.
Latvia reports more than 22 000 registered Ukrainian refugees
