Four Years of War in Ukraine: Millions of Refugees Try to Build Their Lives in Germany

The observed fourth anniversary of the start of the full-scale invasion has become a pretext for analyzing the living conditions of the Ukrainian diaspora. In the state of Hesse, only in 2024, an influx of 17,800 new refugees was recorded, while 7,700 people left to return to Ukraine. In the state of Saxony-Anhalt, the number of registered war refugees has exceeded 36,000 people. These statistics show that the migration process has not stopped, and a significant portion of refugees treat their stay in Western countries as a long-term state due to the continuous paralysis of critical infrastructure in their homeland. Mass migration movements from Ukraine to Germany have a historical precedent in the 1990s, but the current refugee wave is the largest and fastest in terms of scale humanitarian operation in the history of post-war Western Europe.Aid organizations, such as Swiss public and private entities, report unwavering social engagement. Enrico Nagelberg, head of the Ukrainehilfe Birstein und Brachttal association, even notes an increase in the number of donors in some regions. Nevertheless, refugees living in Thuringia or Hesse express growing pessimism about a quick end to the war. Many families remain separated, as men serve in the Ukrainian armed forces, and women in Germany struggle with the language barrier and difficulties in having their medical or engineering diplomas recognized. The situation is worsened by the awareness that daily life in Ukraine drastically deviates from the norm due to a lack of access to utilities. „Meine Mama hat nur vier Stunden Strom am Tag. Vergangene Woche gab es kein Wasser, und die Heizung hat nicht funktioniert.” (My mother only has electricity for four hours a day. Last week there was no water, and the heating didn't work.) — Galina FederenkoFor many Ukrainians, the fourth year of war is a time of a complete change in life perspective. While hope for a quick return initially dominated, efforts for permanent integration, language learning, and finding stable work now prevail. Local authorities in Munich and Thuringia are trying to systematically support these aspirations, though a shortage of places in schools and kindergartens for young migrant children remains a problem. A sense of suspension is becoming part of the daily reality for millions of people who do not know when their homes will become safe places to live again. 1.1 mln — refugees from Ukraine are staying in Germany Number of refugees in selected regions (2025/2026): Hesse: 82 200 → 100 000; Saxony-Anhalt: 31 500 → 36 000