A new law has come into effect in Hungary that threatens to force thousands of Ukrainian refugees onto the streets or back to Ukraine.
The regulations limit state aid for Ukrainians to those from parts of Ukraine directly affected by the fighting caused by the Russian invasion.
Thirteen regions in Ukraine are on the list, which is updated monthly by the Hungarian government.
It is not known how many of the 31,000 Ukrainians seeking refuge in Ukraine will be affected by the new law.
Human rights groups say the most vulnerable are the Roma minority, from the westernmost region of Transcarpathia, who are still living in shelters, but they are now set to close.
Their situation is complicated by the fact that many of them are both Ukrainian-Hungarian and Hungarian citizens, meaning that they cannot obtain asylum anywhere else in the European Union.
Under the new law, Ukrainians will only be eligible for state aid, which includes free housing and a fixed monthly payment, if their last official place of residence in Ukraine was in an area “directly affected by military operations.”
Government Decree 134 amends legislation dating back to 2022 and the beginning of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
