When the conflict in southeastern Ukraine was just flaring up, the Belarusian authorities even welcomed the influx of refugees from the neighboring country. President Alexander Lukashenko signed a special decree granting extensive benefits to Ukrainians who fled to Belarus. Thus, the procedure for assigning cash benefits to Ukrainians and providing places in dormitories was greatly simplified. And minor citizens of Ukraine were fully equalized in rights with Belarusian children, allowing them to study in local schools and attend kindergartens.
As Novye Izvestia writes, according to official data, in 2014 alone more than 50 thousand Ukrainian citizens arrived in Belarus. In the first half of 2015, approximately the same number. Some of them have already received permission for permanent residence from the Belarusian authorities, some for temporary residence. However, not a single Ukrainian has received refugee status, since the main criterion for such status is not met: they are not persecuted in their country for political views or nationality.
But a year later, the attitude towards Ukrainian migrants in Belarus began to change. And they themselves changed. Now, people coming to Belarus (as well as to Russia, Poland, Hungary, and Romania) are often not only from the combat zone, but also, for example, from Western Ukraine who do not want to serve in the army.
Belarusian officials are already openly talking about the 'too great a difference in mentality and upbringing' of the Slavic brothers, the increased crime among Ukrainian migrants, and the noticeably intensified competition in the labor market. Thus, according to the head of the Department of Citizenship and Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus, Alexei Begun, since the beginning of 2015, crime among Ukrainian migrants has grown by a third, and some 'accustomed to liberties' even have to be deported back.
'When Ukrainians arrive in Belarus, especially at the beginning of their stay, they simply do not understand what it means to live by established rules and laws,' Begun noted at a press conference. 'They do not believe that no one should violate these laws and rules.'
Among the 'transgressions' of the refugees, the official mentioned their habit of 'drinking beer on the street, although it is prohibited here,' as well as the guests' attempts to 'establish some kind of small world of their own.' Begun emphasized that Belarusian law enforcement agencies will not turn a blind eye to minor offenses of refugees 'just because they did not know the legal requirements and came from a zone of armed conflict.'
Belarusian police officers try to influence arriving migrants in a targeted manner. For example, even when filling out questionnaires at the migration service, Ukrainian citizens are explained the nuances of Belarusian legislation and the obligation to comply with it – down to the fact that you cannot cross the street on a red light.
Another problem that emerged over the year is the competition that Ukrainians create on the Belarusian labor market. The same presidential decree facilitated employment for refugees from Ukraine in Belarus. Employers who hired Ukrainians were completely exempt from paying the state fee for issuing a permit to attract foreign labor. And the time for issuing such permits was reduced to five days. The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Belarus even formed a bank of vacancies for citizens arriving from Ukraine. By early autumn 2014, the database contained about 8 thousand potential jobs for Ukrainians. Mostly, refugees were employed in areas unpopular among Belarusians themselves – these are blue-collar jobs, junior medical staff, educators and nannies in preschool institutions.
But over the year, the situation on the labor market in Belarus itself changed. Due to the aggravation of the economic crisis, the number of offered vacancies sharply decreased. In addition, the decree 'on parasites' came into effect. As a result, there were not enough jobs in the country for Belarusians themselves. The problem was formulated back in the spring by the former prime minister of the country, now head of the upper house of the Belarusian parliament, Mikhail Myasnikovich. According to him, 'the Belarusian authorities should think about the employment of their own population, and not just about the earnings of our Ukrainian friends.'