Many of my acquaintances say the same thing the morning after yet another massive attack: “That’s it. We need to leave.” At times like these, it feels like there is no strength left, and the only right decision is to find a place where there are no explosions and people are not dying.
But a few days pass. You manage to get some sleep. And Ukrainians start buying new curtains again, planning a holiday or a renovation. Thoughts of moving fade into the background.
Interestingly, Ukrainians living abroad experience similar emotional swings. When life in a temporary host country becomes more difficult, residency rules change, or finding a job becomes harder, the question arises more and more often: maybe it’s time to go home?
It turns out that today, millions of Ukrainians, regardless of where they live, ask themselves the same question every day: stay or leave?
However, the answer is increasingly less dependent on emotions alone. So what does it depend on? I’ll share my thoughts with you in this article.
In 2026, Ukrainians who remain in the country are increasingly less likely to consider moving abroad. If two years ago 41% of those surveyed were considering leaving, now the figure is already down to 33%.
Source: https://gradus.app/report/ukrainians-in-ukraine-less-likely-to-move-abroad/
At first glance, this seems paradoxical. The war continues, attacks are intensifying, and the risks remain high. So why is the desire to leave becoming weaker?
I believe this is about the gradual rationalisation of decisions and longer-term planning. In the first years of the full-scale war, emotions and the desire to find a safe place prevailed. Now people are increasingly looking at very practical things: Is there a job? Are schools operating? Is it possible to make plans at least a few months ahead?
Safety, of course, remains the main factor, but quality of life is becoming increasingly important as well: a stable income, access to financial services, the ability to build savings, and a sense of economic predictability.
After several years of war, Ukrainians are increasingly held back not only by their attachment to their hometown, but also by the life they have already built. A familiar doctor or hairdresser. Neighbours who have almost become family. Children who know their school and have friends there. A favourite café near home. Even the route to work. Some people have managed to keep their own business, while others have already invested money in renovating their apartment or improving their home.
All of this is also a form of capital. This is called the “rootedness effect.” People can adapt even to very difficult conditions if those conditions give them a sense of relative control over their own lives. Moving, on the other hand, often means losing professional connections, having to look for a new job again, adapting children to a new environment, renting a home, dealing with paperwork, and building a new social circle.
The more a person has invested in their life in Ukraine — financially, professionally or socially — the harder it is to make the decision to move.
That is why many Ukrainians stay even after yet another wave of attacks. Not because they are not afraid. They are afraid. They stay because the life they have adapted to during wartime also has its own value.
Another interesting change I have noticed is the growing influence of work on people's decisions.
Despite the high level of stress, 70% of Ukrainians want to develop professionally in their current workplace, while most expect their employer to offer not only a competitive salary, but also honest communication, support, trust and opportunities for professional development.
At the same time, the level of work-related stress has increased: while 49% of employees reported experiencing it last year, the figure has now reached 54%. Signs of stress and emotional exhaustion are increasingly visible in employees' everyday behaviour.
The most common reaction is constantly checking the news in messaging apps — 62% of respondents reported doing this. Almost half (45%) continue checking social media even while working, while another 40% experience sleep problems.
The situation is made worse by the fact that in most companies, mental health is still not openly discussed: in 55% of organisations, it remains effectively a taboo subject. Despite this, 62% of employees say they feel psychologically safe in their workplace.
Source: https://gradus.app/report/workplace-stress-career-expectations-trust-2026/
When a person sees opportunities for professional development, has a stable income and is confident that they will not be left without a job tomorrow, the desire to radically change their country of residence decreases significantly.
If these conditions are not present, the desire to change cities, countries or even professions becomes stronger. In fact, the workplace is increasingly becoming as important an argument as the level of safety or financial opportunities.
At the same time, 53% of Ukrainian migrants in EU countries are considering returning to Ukraine. But most of them cannot answer the main question — when exactly this will happen.
After all, over four years, many people have already managed to build a new life, find a job, and some have even started a new family. Children have started attending local schools, made friends, and some people have started their own businesses.
The longer a person stays abroad, the more deeply they become integrated into their new environment. And the decision to return begins to depend not only on the situation in Ukraine, but also on what they may lose by returning. That is why the question of returning is also an economic one — what opportunities will Ukraine offer after their return?
The Centre for Economic Strategy estimates that at the beginning of 2026, around 5.6 million Ukrainian refugees were outside Ukraine. Around 43% of them say they intend to return, while more than a third do not plan to return or cannot make up their minds. For most, the most important condition remains the end of the war and the restoration of a sense of safety.
The return of Ukrainians will only be possible when conditions for a normal life exist alongside safety — jobs, competitive salaries, schools, healthcare, affordable housing, and opportunities to run and develop a business.
That is why international organisations are increasingly talking not only about humanitarian aid, but also about the long-term recovery of communities.
I have often heard different opinions about whether it is better to stay in Ukraine or move abroad. For some, true patriotism is inseparably linked to being at home no matter what. For others, it means returning home despite the war. For some, it means providing safety for themselves and their children today so they can return and help rebuild the country after the war. For others, it means supporting their country wherever they live.
From my own experience, I have realised that the question of “staying or leaving” is very difficult and has no single right answer. Behind every such decision are personal circumstances, responsibility and a difficult choice.
Some people stay despite the daily threat to their lives because this is their home, their work, their family, their elderly parents, or their loved ones who are defending the country. Some have left to protect their children. And some, after living abroad for a while, decided to return because they were unable to adapt to the difficult life in a foreign country or get used to the constant longing for home.
Each of these stories has its own reasons that deserve understanding and respect.
Obviously, the question of “leaving or staying” today is a very difficult and personal one for every individual family, and it is closely connected to quality of life.
People choose the place where they can feel “safe” first and foremost psychologically: where they can not only survive, but calmly live their lives today instead of putting them on hold until the war is over. Where they have the opportunity to make more or less long-term plans and see a future ahead.
And the possibility of such a life — safe, dignified and predictable — has become one of the key values that Ukraine is fighting for today.
That is why Ukrainians are increasingly less likely to make difficult decisions about moving spontaneously. They think in terms of long-term planning: financial stability, career prospects, the ability to build capital, invest in their own home and build a future.
They also assess their ability to adapt in a new or their home country, because whether you return or leave, it means adapting all over again — a process that can be quite painful for anyone.
Translation into English was created with the help of artificial intelligence.
