Attachments
1. Introduction
This third advocacy briefing in our series on statelessness and the Ukraine crisis draws on country briefings produced with our members and local lawyers to provide an update on current protection gaps for refugees from Ukraine who are stateless or at risk of statelessness (including those with undetermined nationality).
Our analysis of routes to protection for refugees from Ukraine in 17 European countries1 shows that there are significant protection gaps across Europe for stateless people. To prevent discrimination, avoid over-burdening asylum procedures, and facilitate eventual safe return to Ukraine, it is imperative that these gaps are addressed by national and regional authorities.
Populations affected by statelessness in Ukraine include:
• Romani people who lack civil documentation to acquire/confirm their Ukrainian nationality
• Former citizens of the USSR who were unable to acquire Ukrainian nationality in 1991 and have remained stateless due to lack of access to legal aid and other factors
• People from non-Government-controlled areas and Crimea and those internally displaced prior to the current conflict who have been unable to obtain or renew personal documents since 2014, including children whose births have not been registered
• Asylum-seekers, refugees, and migrants (and their children) residing in Ukraine who were stateless prior to leaving their countries of origin or have since become stateless due to displacement, discrimination, State succession, or deprivation of nationality
For more detail on who is affected by statelessness in Ukraine, see Briefing #1 & Briefing #2.