Ukraine is drawing up plans to open its borders to migrant workers from Africa in an attempt to address a deepening labour shortage, as the country grapples with the human cost of more than three years of war with Russia.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Presidential Office, outlined the proposals at the CEO Club Ukraine, saying the government intended to introduce new legislation governing the legal entry and residency of foreign workers. A revised list of designated “migration-risk” countries would be established as part of the framework, with the stated aim of making it easier for migrant workers to remain in Ukraine legally and contribute to the economy. “They enter, obtain documents, and then move on,” Budanov said, describing the current situation as a barrier for business that the new measures were designed to resolve.
The announcement reflects a growing acknowledgement within Ukrainian government circles that the country’s demographic crisis — already severe before the war — has been pushed to a critical point by the scale of casualties at the front and the flight of millions of Ukrainians abroad. Ukraine had the worst population growth figures in Europe even prior to the Russian invasion, and officials have increasingly accepted that the shortfall cannot be addressed through natural means alone.
That view has been expressed at senior levels for some time. Last autumn, former foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said Ukraine may have no choice but to open its borders to migrants from Asia, calling for people “who need this country and are ready to rebuild it.” Vasyl Voskobojnik, president of the Ukrainian Association of Foreign Employment Agencies, has similarly argued that mass immigration from developing nations represents the only viable response to the population decline, urging the government to have a formal migration policy in place by 2026.
The practical challenges, however, are considerable. Ukraine’s economy and public infrastructure have been severely damaged by the conflict, raising questions about the country’s capacity to house, employ and integrate large numbers of new arrivals. The country has also struggled historically with the integration of established minority communities, including Hungarian populations who have faced discrimination at a governmental level.
The proposals are also likely to complicate Ukraine’s long-term ambitions to join the European Union, with Brussels already navigating significant political tensions over migration policy among its existing member states.
Meanwhile, the prospect of the millions of Ukrainian refugees currently living and working across Europe choosing to return to a war-damaged country with limited economic opportunity remains uncertain, adding further complexity to the government’s efforts to stabilise its workforce.
