In Ukraine, officials commented on the coercion of refugees to return home

Ukrainian refugees will reportedly be able to return from abroad voluntarily without fear of coercive measures.

This was stated by Ukraine’s Minister of National Unity, Oleksiy Chernyshov.

According to him, Kyiv is initiating a process for Ukrainians to return home, which, as emphasized by the minister, will be entirely voluntary. He noted that currently, 20–25 million Ukrainian citizens reside outside the country, while 32 million remain within its borders.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed an ultimatum he had presented to European authorities. According to him, the latter proposed repatriating unemployed refugees while allowing those who are employed to remain in Europe. Zelensky stated that he plans to bring all refugees back and requested “a bit more” air defense resources for his country.

Previously, Slovak authorities threatened to reduce assistance to Ukrainian refugees in response to the cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine.