Madrid/València, (EFE).- Two days after the first anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine, Spain has granted temporary protection to more than 168,000 citizens and residents of that country, more than 45,000 in the Valencian Community.
In Spain, 168,131 temporary protections
Specifically, the Office for Asylum and Refuge (OAR) of the Ministry of the Interior, the National Police, has processed and granted until Tuesday 168,131 temporary protections to people seeking refuge in our country, according to data from the department headed by Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
63% of these people are women (105,998) and 37% men (62,133), and by age group, 33% are minors, 25.5% are between 19 and 35 years old, 34.5% have between 36 and 64, and only 7% are over 65 years of age.
98.2% are Ukrainian citizens
In addition, the majority (98.2%) are citizens of Ukrainian nationality, while 1.8% are people of other nationalities who were legally residing on Ukrainian territory when the war broke out.
The Valencian Community (45,379), Catalonia (38,616), Andalusia (24,002) and Madrid (23,646) are the autonomous communities in which the most temporary protections have been processed and granted.
The unprecedented exodus caused by the Russian invasion led to the activation of the European temporary protection directive for the first time, drawn up 20 years ago after the conflict in the Balkans, which guarantees the displaced a residence and work permit and access to healthcare, education and financial aid.
In addition, displaced persons who obtain temporary protection can legally use their driving licenses in Spain for at least one year.
Spain, one of the European countries with the most protections
Interior highlights that the data places Spain among the European countries that have granted the most temporary protections to citizens and residents in Ukraine and recalls that by having freedom of movement “it is not currently possible to determine” the number of people who remain in Spain within of the national reception system.