The number of Ukrainian refugees is growing in Lithuania

More than 78,000 Ukrainian refugees were living in Lithuania as of the beginning of December and their number continues to grow, LRT has reported.

Bożena Zaborovska-Zdanowicz, a representative of the International Organisation for Migration in Lithuania, said that about a hundred Ukrainians who seek protection in Lithuania arrive in the country every day. At the same time, she pointed out that if for some period there were almost no new people, now their number has started to grow again.

People come with one rucksack, with a minimum number of things, so they need the most necessary things here. The main question is where to stay," she said.

She added that people usually come with children. They initially go to Vilnius and then decide whether to stay or go further in the country.

Zaborovska-Zdanovich pointed out that the flow of people has increased again because many people are tired of living under constant Russian attacks and air alerts and people just want to protect their children and elderly parents from a possible threat.

She also noted that many of the Ukrainians who find themselves in Lithuania are looking for psychological support.

More and more people are seeking psychological help. There was no such thing at the beginning of the war, but now the need for such counselling is especially great. They come to our Migration Information Centre and spend time there," she said.

Temporary protection status in Lithuania gives the right to education, health insurance, access to the labour market, social assistance, and the right to stay for a year with the right to extend it for three years. The amount of financial assistance from the state is calculated individually.

Ukrainian refugees arriving in Lithuania can also count on financial support from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The IOM Vilnius office announced the introduction of lump-sum payments of 176 euros for newly arrived Ukrainians who were forced to leave their country because of the war. Among the categories that can qualify for the payment are:

- single parents or carers with one or more children under 18;

- families with three or more children under 18 years of age;

- families raising a child with a disability (payments apply to both children and adults with disabilities);

- pregnant women

- persons aged 60 and over;

- people with disabilities.