Romania deports undocumented Ukrainians: only three of 14 applications approved

Since August 5, when the European Union stopped granting international protection status to Ukrainian men of military age, Romania has granted such status to only three Ukrainian citizens who illegally crossed the border through the mountains. Another 11 people were denied.

This was reported on social media by Ukrainian blogger Maxim Lobin, who himself illegally left Ukraine in May and runs a blog dedicated to the stories of other men.

According to Lobin, many Ukrainians in Romania are being told outright that no one will be granted protection and that they will be sent back home. Several camps are already overcrowded with detained undocumented Ukrainians, and new arrivals are being transported to Bucharest.

One deportation order issued against a Ukrainian states that he may be expelled not only to Ukraine but also to a third country willing to accept him. How feasible this is in practice remains unknown. At the same time, there is information that the first person since the new rules took effect managed to be deported to Moldova.

At the beginning of last month, Lobin had already reported that Romania, as of August 5, had stopped granting temporary protection to Ukrainian men who illegally crossed the border through the mountains or by swimming across a river.

As previously reported, the Czech Republic denied protection to dozens of Ukrainian men of military age within a week of the EU ban on granting them temporary protection status coming into force.