A record number of applications for asylum was registered in Moldova following the start of the war in Ukraine. Up to 100 applications for asylum were processed earlier. Since the end of February until present, the figure rose to over 8,000 applications. The number of applicants for a permit of stay in Moldova also grew. The data were presented by the administration of the Ministry of the Interior’s Bureau for Migration and Asylum in a news conference, IPN reports.

The Bureau’s director Mihail Vodă said that even if a record number was registered, fewer applications have been submitted in the recent past. Of the over 8,000 applications received so far, more than 7,000 were filed by Ukrainian citizens. Over 4,000 persons, more than 3,200 of whom are Ukrainians, have been registered in the asylum system until now.

Mihail Vodă said that to facilitate the entry into and stay on Moldova’s territory, a series of derogations from the national legislation were agreed by the decisions taken by the Commission for Exceptional Situations. From the beginning, the Ukrainians have been allowed to enter the country with different types of IDs. The right to work was facilitated for Ukrainians and these need to only submit an own responsibility statement.

“We analyzed the statistics of persons who are now in the Republic of Moldova, namely those who came from Ukraine. At the moment, there are over 77,000 persons who decided to stay. Of them, 50,585 have stayed in the Republic of Moldova for over 90 days,” said Mihail Vodă.

A survey conducted by the Bureau shows that over half of the refugees are from Odessa. 55% of the respondents are aged between 25 and 44. As to the place of stay, 65% of them live in Chisinau. Half of the interviewed persons were housed by relatives, friends or volunteers, while the others live in rented accommodations or in placement centers. Asked about their current needs, the refugees enumerated the access to the Internet, medical services, bank services, childcare services, transport etc.