Refugees from South-Eastern Ukraine in Russia: Sociological Analysis

Objectives: The issue of refugees leaving their countries because of war, religious, ethnic or political factors is one of the greatest humanitarian problems of the present day. Methods: These refugees differ from migrant workers since any escalation of the conflict pushes them to the territory of more affluent countries on a mass scale. There are fewer reports about the refugees from the territory of South-Eastern Ukraine, the territory with a continuing armed confrontation, than about refugees from North Africa. This occurs due to the fact that most Ukrainian refugees fled to Russia, hardly affecting Eastern European countries. Findings: This article discusses the issue of Ukrainian refugees who decided to go to Russia, the country closest to them in linguistic and cultural aspects. In the course of conducted sociological research the authors considered plans of the refugees for their future life, mechanisms of adaptation, interaction with authorities and locals, sources of information on regularization of stay. Application: The study did not analyze the issues related to political evaluation or interpretation of the events, while its main focus was on humanitarian aspects.