Only 304 people in Russia have an official refugee status. In the first quarter of 2022, only two people were officially recognised as refugees. It is simply not in the government’s interest. Firstly, people with a refugee status are eligible for all benefits and pensions that Russian citizens have. Secondly, how can there be refugees from “liberated territories”?
The majority of Ukrainian refugees in Russia are granted “temporary asylum” instead. Or worse, they do not have any official status at all.
The refugees get a bed at temporary accommodation centres, where they are also given food. But there is nothing else there. People need a change of clothes, shoes, shampoos, combs, toothbrushes and so on. They do not have the money to buy these things. Without a Russian citizenship, the refugees cannot find a job or apply for social benefits. Applying for Russian citizenship costs 6,000 rubles (€100), a sum that the refugees often do not have. In any case, it takes the government several months to process the application.