A STATUS OF UKRAINIAN REFUGEES IN EUROPE - CASE STUDY OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND FRANCE

Europe has faced many migration challenges in recent years. The migration crisis of 20152016, when millions of illegal migrants tried to reach Europe. In 2022, Russia began an invasion of Ukraine, and millions of Ukrainian refugees were forced to leave their homes. Therefore, this study investigated and analyzed the factors leading Ukrainian refugees to relocate to the Czech Republic and France. A secondary goal was to examine the subjective refugee's perception of their ability to integrate into the majority society. A quantitative research survey was carried out through a questionnaire, in which 8,575 Ukrainian refugees participated. The results show that Ukrainian refugees stay in the Czech Republic primarily due to cultural similarities, work opportunities, and the availability of education. Meanwhile, for Ukrainian refugees staying in France the intercultural environment, openness of people, and support from the state are important. 76.53% of the surveyed Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic and 50.33% of the participating Ukrainian refugees in France rate the help and support from the state and society as sufficient. Integration into the majority society was rated positively by more than 82% of surveyed Ukrainian refugees in both countries, slightly more positively in the case of completing an integration or language course. While the first months of the war were in the spirit of providing the necessary assistance to Ukrainian refugees, now it is necessary to focus on their integration into mainstream society. Only then can the migration process be completed successfully, and everyone can benefit from it.