Contested Deservingness: Eastern and Western Ukrainians Under Temporary Protection

This article explores the Temporary Protection Directive through the perspectives of displaced Ukrainians in the Czech Republic. Based on qualitative research, it reveals how many Ukrainians from the eastern regions view their western co-nationals as undeserving of the protection granted by the directive. However, due to significant pre-war migration from western Ukraine to the Czech Republic, western Ukrainians are better positioned to adapt and benefit from temporary protection amid the mass influx of refugees.