site.btaCan Romania Meet a Refugee Wave in Case of Armed Conflict in Ukraine?

Although there is no war in Ukraine yet, the first “refugee” from that country is expected to arrive in Romania on March 1, the Adevarul writes. Masha is 19 and has been exploited ever since she was born: she was just a couple of weeks old when they began to teach her to become a circus star... Masha is actually a 19-year-old circus bear who is to finally discover what freedom is all about at the Libearty Bear Sanctuary in Zarnesti, Brasov county.

The curious news item in the Bucharest daily, though, calls to mind a far more serious subject, that of the possible wave of refugees that could flood Romania in case of an armed conflict in Ukraine. The Romanian authorities affirm they are prepared for such a situation.

In the context of the continuing tension along the Russian-Ukrainian border, the Romanian Minister Lucian Bode said the ministry’s structures are “prepared for an integrated response to this crisis, including in the case of possible uncontrolled migration”. He says Romania has an action plan ready in case of a refugee influx.

Romania has a 600 km border with Ukraine, plus being a European Union and NATO member. Poland is in a similar situation, having a 530 km border with Ukraine. For various historical, cultural and linguistic reasons, the majority of the potential refugees would possibly opt for Poland, particularly as that country has accepted a large number of economic immigrants from Ukraine in recent years, mostly after the Russian invasion in 2014. Warsaw recently stated it was preparing for “up to a million” refugees in case of war in neighboring Ukraine.

In case of a possible conflict in Ukraine, Romania could accept 1,500 refugees at the most, or half of the residents of Terebleche, the first village of ethnic Romanians located directly next to the Romanian-Ukrainian borders, the Romanian chapter of Radio Free Europe commented. It also noted that a war between Russia and Ukraine would lead to millions of refugees.

Interior Minister Lucian Bode explained that the authorities are first considering the border checkpoints through which an influx of refugees to Romania is possible. After that they mull the manner in which the foreign citizens could be assisted, and thirdly, where they could be provided with temporary accommodation. “These temporary asylum facilities are already operational. The zones and the places where they can be located have been designated jointly with local authorities,” the Minister pointed out. ProTV reported that the northern and northeastern counties of Maramures, Suceava, Botosani, Iasi and Tulcea are already under alert.

The Romanian-Ukrainian border is usually mentioned in the news when yet another batch of contraband cigarettes is intercepted, sometimes ones even carried by drones. Should things reach the point of an armed conflict in Ukraine though, the pressure on this border could acquire quite different dimensions and the problem will not stop at the border.

Romania has difficulties in providing decent conditions for migrants and refugees even in times of peace, Free Europe – Romania commented, noting that 2021 was the most difficult in the last 30 years in terms of applications for asylum from foreigners received by the Romanian state. The Chief Inspectorate for Migration at the Interior Minister has registered nearly 10,000 applications, and the six reception centres for migrants and refugees in Romania – located in the counties of Timis, Maramures, Suceava, Giurgiu, Galati and Bucharest – are nearly full to capacity.

Bode assured that all border counties have accommodation capacity options like sports halls, boarding houses, hostels and hotels. He did not specify what number of possible refugees Romania could accept, but underscored that all of the country’s borders are secure and Romania itself is a secure country.

In spite of Romania’s readiness to deal with “any scenario” declared by the authorities, most Romanians probably hope Masha will remain the one and only “refugee” from Ukraine.

Because the situation in the neighboring country is still far from having a solution, the people at Libearty Bear Sanctuary say they are very excited about Masha and pray she will arrive safely at Zarnesti, where she will live with many other of her own species, the Adevarul noted.