71% of Ukrainian war refugees are willing to return to their country of origin when it is safe to do so, while around 12% are still undecided. The main needs remain: financial support - 60%, language courses - 43%, employment - 36%, health services - 34%, long-term accommodation - 25%. These are the findings of the Needs and Intentions Survey (NIS) of Ukrainian war refugees carried out by the International Organization for Migration Vilnius Office (IOM Lithuania) in February - March 2024. 
"The basic needs of Ukrainians remain largely unchanged, with financial stability and work being the most important. However, we can see that there is a growing need to learn Lithuanian. 62% of Ukrainians cite the language barrier as one of the main obstacles to finding a job.  Obviously, the longer Ukrainians live in Lithuania, the more they need to integrate and pursue their goals here, and language is one of the key things. And while in the first half of last year only 8% of respondents talked about the need to learn Lithuanian, this year the number has risen to 43%," says Eitvydas Bingelis, Head of IOM Lithuania. 
Other barriers to employment cited by Ukrainians are health (20%) and family circumstances (20%).According to the DTM survey, 45% of Ukrainians are employed, 15% have created a job for themselves and the rest are looking for work. 
The majority of those who have arrived - 79% - intend to stay in Lithuania, 20% are not sure about their plans and only 1% of Ukrainians plan to leave in the next six months. "Ukrainians have been living in Lithuania for more than 2 years, they are settling in, working or learning new professions, their children are going to kindergartens or schools, and they do not want to change their place of residence once they have found security," says E. Bingelis.
Over the last two years of DTM surveys in both Lithuania and Estonia, the main needs of Ukrainians have remained similar: financial stability, accommodation and employment. In addition, the longer war refugees live abroad, the more they need to learn the language of that country. 
The study used the DTM method to examine the behaviour and needs of people who have moved to another country. It is mainly related to humanitarian aspects: health care, need for food and water, sense of security. This method allows for a quicker response to the situation and to ensure adequate living conditions for people who have left their country. The DTM study is funded by the United States Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM)
In the two years since the start of the war in Ukraine, almost 87 000 Ukrainians have arrived in Lithuania.