By Timo Kirez
GENEVA (AA) – Switzerland confirmed on Thursday that it had deported three Ukrainian convicted criminals for the first time.
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) issued a statement in response to a report published by the Swiss daily Neue Zurcher Zeitung, or NZZ, confirming the return of the three convicted criminals from Ukraine but declining to disclose the specific crimes committed by them for data and privacy protection reasons.
NZZ stated in the report that the three Ukrainians committed serious crimes, including robbery, deprivation of liberty, and assault.
On Wednesday, three people were returned to Ukraine on a special flight, the SEM said, confirming the daily’s report.
The repatriation of Ukrainian criminals was the first since the start of the Russian war in February 2022, the NZZ stated, adding that they could now be drafted into military service back in their home country.
The SEM did not say whether this repatriation was an isolated incident or if further deportations of Ukrainians were planned.
According to the NGO Swiss Refugee Council, about 99,000 Ukrainian refugees have applied for protection status S in Switzerland since the beginning of the conflict in February 2022, making Ukrainian refugees the largest group seeking protection in Switzerland.
Protection status S was initially introduced in 1998 in response to refugee movements from the Balkan wars. However, it was only activated for the first time by the Swiss federal government in March 2022 for refugees from Ukraine.
In April 2022, the federal government implemented “support measures for persons with protection status S,” aimed at supporting the integration of these Ukrainian migrants, especially in the labor market or in education.
On Sept. 4, 2024, the federal government extended these support measures for a third time, now set to continue until March 4, 2026, in line with the non-revocation of protection status.