The Czech Interior Ministry has announced the launch of a pilot project for the ‘voluntary repatriation’ of Ukrainian refugees.
Radio Prague International (RPI) reported that the ministry will pay for bus tickets for 400 refugees and provide ambulance transport for 30 patients.
The plan was approved by the government in mid-May. 5.5 million Czech crowns (about $240,000) have been allocated to implement the project.
According to the report, refugees will be able to exercise their right to return only once, at their own expense. The project will run from June to November 2024.
According to Magda Faltová, president of the Czech Association for Integration and Migration, only a small number of refugees will benefit from the repatriation project, mainly those who have no money or have health problems.
According to April figures from the Ministry of the Interior, there are around 339,000 people under temporary protection in the country.
In mid-April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law to tighten mobilisation.
In response, the Ukrainian authorities banned the issuance of domestic and foreign passports to men conscripted abroad. Since 23 April, all consular procedures for Ukrainians of military age have been suspended.
At the end of April, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishina announced that the government had no plans to forcibly repatriate citizens abroad.
