Forced migration in wartime: decision-making and trajectory

Abstract

Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has caused a new wave of mass forced migrants. We conducted in-depth interviews with Ukrainians forced to relocate to Finland, to understand the differences in their migration decision-making and migration trajectories. The study showed that there are two models of forced migration. The first one is spontaneous and fast, where respondents didn’t consider the positive and negative consequences of migration. The second one includes a longer process of decision-making: respondents considered mainly the characteristics of their household and the conditions in the country of residence. They were motivated by the loss of security in Ukraine, and the inability to find sources of income or provide education for their children. But there were also factors that made decision-making more difficult and longer. Specifically, the need to be separated from the family, the lack of access to information about the support system abroad, and the high risks to life during the journey (caused by the danger of leaving the occupied territory and lack of other trajectories except to go to Finland through Russia).