President Petr Pavel will meet Ukrainian war refugees at Prague Castle this morning. According to the communication department of the presidential office, the purpose of the meeting is to introduce and appreciate some successful Ukrainians who, for example, have managed to start a business in the Czech Republic, run a bistro or a pastry shop and help their compatriots. Saturday marks two years since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
According to Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS), the Czech Republic currently provides shelter to 384,000 Ukrainian war refugees, according to the Prime Minister, it granted temporary protection to 590,000 refugees during the two years of the war. Almost two-thirds of refugees in the Czech Republic are women, and almost 100,000 Ukrainian children have found refuge in the country, Fiala noted on Wednesday.
According to Fiala, employment is the dominant source of income for refugees. At the end of January, 117,200 refugees from Ukraine had jobs in the Czech Republic, the press department of the labor office told ČTK on Tuesday. According to Fiala, four fifths of refugees pay for their own housing. Refugees pay more to the state in taxes and insurance premiums than the Czech Republic spends on humanitarian benefits, the prime minister noted.