The Norwegian government has decided not to grant collective protection to refugees from 14 regions of Ukraine, which have been recognized as safe by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).
The Norwegian authorities consider the following regions of Ukraine to be safe:
- Cherkasy
- Chernivtsi
- Ivano-Frankivsk
- Khmelnytskyi
- Kirovohrad
- Kyiv (region, not the city)
- Lviv
- Poltava
- Rivne
- Ternopil
- Vinnytsia
- Volyn
- Zakarpattia
- Zhytomyr
"The regions considered safe are mostly those where the Ukrainian authorities predominantly control the situation, and Russia has little or no control and influence," the statement says.
The agency promised to individually consider applications even from residents of regions that Norway considers safe. However, they stated that the criteria for receiving individual protection would be stricter.
It is noted that this change only applies to those who applied for protection from September 28, 2024, and have not received a response to their application by January 13, 2025. It also applies to those who apply for protection after January 13, 2025.
According to Norwegian authorities, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the country has accepted about 85,000 Ukrainian refugees.
