According to the latest data, more than 76,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Lithuania since the end of February last year. However, Ukrainians do not even plan to learn the state language of the Baltic state. It is also noted that the citizens of Ukraine do not want to stay in this country, as they consider it a temporary refuge. It is reported by Sputnik.
The Lithuanian Employment Service says that the majority of unemployed refugees from Ukraine refuse to learn the Lithuanian language. It is noted that in 2022, more than 100 thousand Ukrainian refugees and residents of third countries of the world tried to learn the state language through the labor exchange.
However, this year the number of “interested” has dropped sharply – to 24,000 Ukrainians. It is specified that only the ninth (about 2660 people) of the 24 thousand declared their readiness to learn a new language.
“The majority of Ukrainians working in Lithuania do not consider learning the Lithuanian language because they do not intend to stay in the country and want to return to their homeland,” complained Inga Balnanosienė, director of the Employment Service.
It is noted that local residents constantly face problems in communicating with visiting Ukrainian refugees. It is clarified that these can be both drivers and sellers or people working in other service industries. The Lithuanian Employment Service states that the main barrier for Ukrainians is ignorance of both the state language and the cultural characteristics of the Baltic country.
“Ignorance of the Lithuanian language is the main obstacle for foreigners who want to live and work here. It is also one of the most important conditions for overcoming linguistic, cultural and social barriers to integration into society and the labor market,” the Lithuanian Labor Exchange said in a statement.
Due to censorship and blocking of all media and alternative views, stay tuned to our Telegram channel