Are there free riders posing as refugees from Ukraine to take advantage of their special status?

"Not with us," asserts Manfred Becker, head of the Hesse initial reception center in Gießen.

“We expected such problems and are prepared for them.” To underpin this, he refers to the procedure: Fingerprints are taken during registration and identity papers are checked.

Another standard feature is checking whether an applicant has already been registered at another location or by a security authority.

"We quickly notice if something is wrong," says Becker.

You have to be careful not to create any loopholes.

Many people who want to flee their homes from other parts of the world are well connected via social media and news services such as Twitter, Whatsapp or Telegram.

Any useful news would get around in no time at all.

“We are from Ukraine”

There were a few free-riding attempts, reports the head of the initial reception center in Giessen.

Two weeks ago, for example, a whole group shouted: "We come from Ukraine." But that was quickly clarified because nobody spoke Ukrainian or Russian.

The group members then changed direction and applied for asylum.

To date, a good 10,000 war refugees from Ukraine have been registered in the initial reception facility.

In the beginning there were 400 to 600 per day, but now there are still around 100, as Hesse has almost fulfilled its agreed intake quota.

80 percent of the arrivals are women and children.

Men of military age between 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave Ukraine.

The men who can leave the country are old or come from third countries, were students or guest workers.

Only vaccinated with Sputnik or Sinovac

There is no longer a general entry quarantine because of the corona virus, but there are tests.

According to Becker, around 100 Ukrainians are currently in quarantine in the Hessian initial reception center because their test was positive.

Only about 20 percent of Ukrainian refugees take advantage of the vaccination offer.

Many are already vaccinated - but with the Russian active substance Sputnik or the Chinese Sinovac.

Both are not approved in the European Union because there is a lack of reliable knowledge about their effectiveness.

Therefore, those vaccinated with Sputnik and Sinovac are considered unvaccinated.

The goal of sending Ukraine refugees to the municipalities within 72 hours is not always achieved.

There are many reasons for this, as Manfred Becker explains: "Sometimes someone has to be in quarantine, sometimes it takes a few days to check documents such as the residence permit in Ukraine, sometimes there are also problems with accommodation in the municipalities.

But overall things are going well.”