Did the Czech government spend 100 billion Czech koruna to care for Ukrainian refugees? No, that's not true: The government claims it spent a third of that amount to care for Ukrainian migrants following the 2022 Russian invasion of their territory, and it points out that a third of the migrants currently work, paying taxes and adding to the overall economy.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) that was published by TikTok on September 28, 2023. The person speaking in the video, Tomio Okamura, is the leader of the second largest opposition party, the populist Freedom and Direct Democracy party. In a clip translated into English from Czech by Lead Stories staff says in Czech, Okamura says:
The mass migration went wrong and caused, as I had pointed out, massive social tensions... it really damages the co-existence (of Ukrainians and Czechs) in the Czech Republic. First of all, we do not have money for that. The government has already spent 100 billion on Ukrainians...
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Wed Oct 4 08:09:00 2023 UTC)
The total cost of the Ukrainian refugee and migration crisis for the Czech Republic is estimated at 33.5 billion koruna as of March 31, according to the Finance Ministry, of which the government budget cost was 23.4 billion koruna. Of that, 11.1 billion koruna were spent on social benefits, 6.8 billion koruna on housing costs, and 5.6 billion koruna on health care for refugees, according to the ministry. The ministry also claims that approximately 100,000 Ukrainians started work in the country after their arrival, paying taxes and levies, and bringing money into the economy.
The Czech Republic and Poland were among the most common destinations for Ukrainian refugees. In less than six months, the country received 390,000 Ukrainian refugees, making it the third most common EU destination for Ukrainians fleeing the war, and the country that accepted the most per capita. By mid-2023, the Czech Republic hosted 349,140 Ukrainians with temporary protection statuses, according to Eurostat data.
Ukrainian refugees contributed to state finances 8 billion koruna in 2022 through various levies, of which the state health care insurance system received 4 billion koruna, according to Labor Minister Marian Jurecka on January 25, 2023. Apart from the state budget, the country has also used EU funds to finance language courses and other assistance to help refugees adjust to life in the Czech Republic, Jurecka said.
News reports with more details on refugees and their employment in the country can be found here.
