147 Ukrainian Refugees Secure Residency in Andorra Four Years After Invasion

Four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, 147 Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Andorra have secured ordinary residency permits, according to government figures.

Andorra, which had limited prior experience hosting refugees, approved a quota of 285 temporary protection permits in response to the crisis. This enabled arrivals to access housing, healthcare, schooling for children, and job placement support. Most have since integrated, with only two individuals remaining on humanitarian sojourn permits due to difficulties in meeting standard regularization requirements, such as finding employment.

Legislative changes over the years have extended these permits and eased family reunification. Pre-existing Ukrainian residents in Andorra—prior to the war—were not included in these counts.

Anastasia Kravets, president of the Association of Ukrainians in Andorra, who was already settled in the Principality when the invasion began, described the refugees' forced uprooting and subsequent rooting. "They've found work, the children go to school and now speak Catalan," she said. Yet integration comes with divided loyalties, as many monitor Ukraine's fate, hoping for peace and a possible return.

Kravets's own mother fled Ukraine to join her in Andorra but passed away here, unable to fulfill her wish for burial in her homeland—a further toll of the conflict. She praised Andorra's support network: "The country has treated us very well, providing everything needed at the start, with ongoing social services accompaniment."

Antoni Zorzano, Ukraine's honorary consul in Andorra, echoed this, noting the Principality's "fantastic" response, including institutional backing through international resolutions condemning the invasion and imposing sanctions on Vladimir Putin's regime. This marked a shift from Andorra's earlier, smaller-scale effort to host Syrian refugees.

The war, now at 1,460 days with no end in sight, remains deadlocked. Russia controls 19% of Ukrainian territory, having gained just 0.8% in 2025. Casualties include 1.8 million soldiers killed across both sides, over 15,000 Ukrainian civilians (including more than 700 children), and 40,600 wounded. Around six million have fled abroad, with 3.7 million internally displaced. A recent poll suggests fewer than 20% of Ukrainians expect the conflict to end this year, despite external rhetoric.