Head of Ukraine’s Office of Migration Policy: Ukrainians may become “a mix of an Indian, a Bangladeshi”

The head of Ukraine’s Office of Migration Policy, Vasyl Voskoboinyk, has suggested that due to migration processes, Ukrainians may become “to some extent a mix of an Indian, a Bangladeshi, and so on.” He made the statement in an interview with the Ukrainian magazine Kommersant.

According to the official, “this will be our path.” He added a caveat, however: the most important thing is that migrants coming to Ukraine pay taxes and become part of the “political nation.”

Voskoboinyk also suggested that in the coming years Ukraine may have to close its borders to its own citizens while simultaneously opening them to foreigners. He explained this necessity by a shortage of labor.

“We may find ourselves in such a situation in the coming years,” he said.

As broader context, the official pointed out that developed countries are gradually changing their approach to labor migration. He cited the United States as an example, where, according to him, migration is becoming an “elite opportunity” for skilled professionals.

Voskoboinyk also touched separately on the topic of robotization and artificial intelligence. In his view, the development of these technologies could reduce demand for labor migrants in wealthy countries. As an example, he cited American billionaire Elon Musk’s plans for the mass production of humanoid robots as early as 2027. The official believes this will result in countries whose economies depend on the earnings of labor migrants abroad facing rising poverty, as their workforce will be in less demand.

The publication had previously written in more detail about why the topic of migration in Ukraine has become more acute. Protests over the importation of migrants are already taking place in Kyiv.