Romania — Ukrainian Nationals Crossing Back to Ukraine (January - March 2024)

IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) collected data on Ukrainian nationals and TCNs (resided in Ukraine before 24 February 2022) that were crossing back to Ukraine from or through Romania, either temporarily or permanently. The survey focuses on the return intentions, duration of displacement, destinations, assistance, and experiences of discrimination of respondents. A total of 1,298 surveys were collected between January and March 2024. Among these, less than one per cent (n=11) were completed by TCNs, while the vast majority, comprising over 99 per cent (n=1,287), were completed by Ukrainian nationals. The analysis presented in this report is based on the responses provided by Ukrainian nationals.

Before crossing back into Ukraine, individuals commonly stayed in Romania (57%), other EU countries (36%) or non-EU countries (6%). Aside from Romania, other countries of residence were Bulgaria (18%), Germany (6%), Italy (4%) or Turkey (3%).

The travel intentions of the surveyed Ukrainian nationals show that most respondents (63%) were “short-term visitors”, while 15 per-cent were prospective returnees. Another 22 per cent were not sure regarding their visit period. Also, most UA citizens were travelling back to their oblast of origin (95%), with most respondents originating from Odeska, Chernivetska, City of Kiyv Mykolaivska or Kersonska.