Switzerland will accept Ukrainian refugees only from frontline regions

Switzerland to accept Ukrainian refugees based on the “Norwegian Model” — only from regions where fighting is ongoing.

This was reported by the Swiss broadcasting company SRF.

The Swiss Federal Council is expected to soon make a decision to limit the intake of Ukrainian refugees. Parliament had already recommended such a move back in December.

“Protection will be granted only to individuals who last resided in territories that are either fully or partially occupied by Russia, or in regions experiencing ‘more or less intense’ combat operations,” the article states.

Switzerland plans to adopt the Norwegian classification system, under which the western and central regions of Ukraine are considered safe (as shown on the map). Kyiv is included among the dangerous zones—along with Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy.

“The only difference may be in the area around Kyiv. Norway classifies only the city itself as unsafe, while Switzerland may define a broader surrounding area as dangerous,” the publication notes.

Currently, about one-third of refugees arriving in Switzerland come from the “safe” regions.

As a reminder, the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) previously submitted a proposal to the National Council to tighten the criteria for granting S protection status to Ukrainian refugees. The party argued that the situation in much of Ukraine has stabilized and that there are no active hostilities in large parts of the country.