Illegal Migrants in Ukraine: Ten Times the Official Figure

Hennady Moskal, head of Ukraine’s State Committee on Nationalities and Migration, has expressed concern over the possible increase in the number of illegal migrants who may attempt to infiltrate into Ukrainian territory. He stressed that, according to official estimates, 16,000 illegal migrants have been detained this year alone, which could be a mere 10% of the real figure, reports Interfax-Ukraine. Nevertheless, Mr. Moskal believes that UN estimates of some 6,000,000 foreign nationals illegally residing in Ukraine “are a bridge too far.”

The state committee head added that most illegal migrants cross Ukraine en route to Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. However, prior to joining the EU in 2004 these countries are to sign the Shengen agreement foreseeing a visa regime for Ukraine. “The introduction of the visa regime in these countries will swell the influx of illegal migrants into Ukraine,” believes Mr. Moskal. Moreover, according to him, the more stringent measures Russia will take to counter illegal migration, “the more problems await Ukraine.” According to Mr. Moskal, Ukraine would be able to put up a more active fight against illegal migration if this issue were dealt with by a single department. As he put it, currently eight ministries and departments are working on this problem here.