Since the beginning of the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine, 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes, and several hundred, mostly women and children, have found refuge in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
According to the BiH Service for Foreigners Affairs, there are currently 363 Ukrainians registered in hotels and private accommodation in BiH. As it was said to Fena news agency in the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs, 102 citizens of Ukraine have expressed their intention to apply for asylum in BiH.
They explain that citizens of Ukraine are exempted from the obligation to obtain visas for entry, exit, transit and stay in BiH and can stay without a visa for up to 30 days within two months from the date of first entry, and upon arrival in Bosnia and Herzegovina are to report their address of residence in one of the competent field centers of the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs or the police administration.
The Council of Ministers of BiH made a decision on granting temporary residence of Ukrainian citizens on humanitarian grounds, which stipulates that temporary residence may be granted for up to six months, while according to Article 9 of the Decision on granting temporary residence of Ukrainian citizens on humanitarian grounds may be extended under the same conditions as approved.
The Red Cross of the Federation of BiH is in contact with about 350 Ukrainians, and they say for Fena that the refugees are accommodated in private accommodation, which is usually given to them for free use, and with acquaintances, friends and relatives.
By the decision of the FBiH Government, for the needs of accommodation of refugees from Ukraine in BiH, certain capacities of the Walter Hotel managed by the Federal Agency for Management of Confiscated Property were ceded, but the largest number, 96 of them still reside in Medjugorje.
The Red Cross organization for Fena says that they are assessing the needs of Ukrainian refugees in the field, informing partners within the group coordinated by UNHCR in cooperation with the Red Cross, and whose work actively involves various UN agencies and international and domestic organizations’ capacities respond to identified needs. The Ministry of Security of BiH also participates in the work of coordination.
“Efforts are being made to ensure a coordinated and complementary humanitarian response in the form of food, hygiene, health and psychosocial support, as well as a response to the specific needs of women and children,” the Red Cross said.
Refugees are also supported by the OSCE Mission to BiH, which coordinates its activities with key state and international organizations, which also provide assistance to Ukrainian citizens in BiH. The OSCE confirmed to Fena that they are working with state institutions in Southeast European countries to increase the conversion of property seized in proceedings against organized crime groups, including property for the purpose of providing accommodation to refugees.
In March 2022, the Agency for the Management of Confiscated Property, an OSCE partner institution, addressed the OSCE with a recommendation that part of the Walter Hotel in Sarajevo, confiscated in criminal proceedings, be used to house refugees from Ukraine. The Government of the Federation of BiH then passed a Decision on the use of hotel capacity to accommodate citizens of Ukraine. The hotel, which was confiscated in 2017, was in operation, but was not used for the purpose of providing social accommodation services.
Currently, two floors of the hotel are reserved for up to 80 citizens of Ukraine. So far, seven people have been accommodated in this hotel on that basis. At the moment, this is the first example of social conversion of a facility in BiH, according to the OSCE.
