EU hosts 4.2M people under temporary protection, mostly fleeing Ukraine war

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) – Approximately 4.2 million non-EU citizens, most of whom fled Ukraine due to the Russian war, are under temporary protection in the 27-member bloc, latest data showed on Thursday.

Eurostat said the most number of beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine were in Germany, with 1.12 million (27% of the total in the EU), followed by Poland 975,190, and Czechia 376,885.

Compared with July, the biggest increases in beneficiaries were observed in Germany, Czechia, and Romania, while decreases were noted in Poland, France, and Luxembourg.

As of the end of August, Ukrainian citizens made up more than 98.3% of those under temporary protection.

The war, which began in February 2022, continues to drive people to neighboring regions, particularly European countries.