Forced displacement in Ukraine: understanding the decision-making process

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 resulted in millions of people being internally displaced and seeking refuge abroad. European countries responded with favorable socio-legal conditions and a welcoming political climate. In this paper, we are interested in how people make and rationalize their decisions and destination choices following forced displacement. The paper sheds light on the particular conditions under which Ukrainians made their migration decisions and illustrates how this case of displacement allows focusing on the decision-making process when many external constraints faced by other migrant populations are absent. The analysis draws on recently conducted qualitative interviews with internally displaced people and those displaced to several European countries. The study shows how displaced people exercise agency through migration-related decisions and choices based on specific rationalities, which contributes to the discussion on the rigid binary between forced and voluntary migration. The paper adapts the threshold approach to migration decision-making for the investigation of war-driven displacement and shows how it highlights the role of timing and affect in the decision- making process as well as its relational nature.