The number of Ukrainian citizens who find refuge in Spain while Russian bombs continue to hit their country continues to increase.
According to the latest data released by the Government, the Ministry of the Interior has processed, decided and granted temporary protection to 74,965 people from Ukraine who arrived in Spain fleeing the war to date.
Of the total of cases, 39,031 (or 52.1%) were processed in police stations, as explained by the Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez, during a visit to a temporary refuge processing office for Ukrainians located in a police station in Santander, Cantabria. In said office, 991 applications have been admitted granted so far.
By age, 38.44% of the cases of temporary refuge granted in Spain correspond to asylum seekers under the age of 18 years; 23.65% to people aged between 19 and 35; 31.53% to those aged between 36 and 64 and 6.39% to people over the age of 65, according to government figures.
By sex, 67.58% of those who received temporary protection are female and 32.42% male.
Work permit, driving licence
Furthermore, 98.74% of the beneficiaries are Ukrainian citizens, while 1.26% are legal Ukrainian residents from other national groups.
According to government information, temporary refuge includes a residence permit and, for adults, a work permit in all cases. In addition, under the provisions of the Directorate General of Traffic, displaced persons who obtain temporary refuge are legally entitled to use their driving licences in Spain for at least one year.
In mid-March, The Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma), also announced a logistics plan for the transfer of Ukrainian refugees. According to said plan, traveling by train within Spain will not cost these people a penny, since the railway operator Renfe provides them with travel tickets at no cost on all trains.
Madrid (14,709), Catalonia (14,377), Valencia (13,155), and Andalusia (11,236) are the Spanish regions that received the highest number of applications.
