Planned Return Center for Ukrainians in Prague postponed indefinitely

A planned Return Center for Ukrainians in Prague will not be established for now, Czech Radio reported. The project, prepared by the Czech Interior Ministry, has been postponed indefinitely due to problems on the Ukrainian side. After a recent government restructuring in Kyiv, the ministry that was to oversee the initiative ceased to exist. For the return center to function, a counterpart institution in Ukraine would be necessary, said Kateřina Flaigová, head of the ministry’s Department for International Cooperation. Until then, the existing support office in Prague, run by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), will continue its activities under the new name Unity Hub. It will focus on integration in Czechia and assist with returns only upon individual request. The Interior Ministry has secured €1.5 million in funding for the center for the next two years. Currently, more than 566,000 Ukrainians are registered in Czechia.