The number of Ukrainians who permanently or temporarily resided in Turkey before 24 February 2022 was 38,000.

At the same time, after the outbreak of Russia's full-scale war of aggression against our country, according to the Turkish authorities, more than 844 thousand of Ukrainians entered the Republic of Turkey, but as of December 2023, the vast majority of them left for third countries or returned to their homeland. Currently, the number of Ukrainians who remain temporarily resident in the Republic of Turkey is about 23 thousand.

The geographical distribution of Ukrainians by region is as follows: Istanbul - about 15,000, Antalya - about 15,000, Bursa - over 1,100, Ankara - about 5,000. At the same time, given the large number of internally displaced persons from Ukraine, the data may temporarily vary.

The majority of the Ukrainian community in Turkey are women (young and middle-aged) who are married to Turkish citizens. Only some of them are socially active. Others, due to family, financial or other circumstances, do not participate in the public life of local Ukrainians, especially those from among the temporary migrants.           

The active "nucleus" of the Ukrainian community includes more than 50 people in Istanbul, more than 40 people in Antalya, and about 40 people in Ankara. Communities in Marmaris, Mersin, Konya, Adana, Bursa, and Kocaeli also show a high level of activity and organisation. A significant proportion of the Ukrainian diaspora is made up of teachers, entrepreneurs, and translators.

Since the beginning of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation on 24 February 2022, the Embassy and consular offices of Ukraine, through the capabilities of Ukrainian communities, have organised information and public events in support of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, condemning the Russian aggression against our country, as well as war crimes of the Russian Armed Forces on the territory of Ukraine.

Through the capabilities of Ukrainian communities throughout Turkey, we have organised and established the collection of humanitarian, medical, financial and food aid for the needs of Ukraine, as well as actively assisted in the temporary resettlement and provision of basic assistance to internally displaced persons from Ukraine.

As of 2024, there are 20 Ukrainian unions in the Turkey: in Bursa (1), Izmir(2), Antalya (4), Istanbul (3), Ankara (1), Marmaris(1), Adana (1), Konya (1), Alanya (1), Kusadasi (1), Mersin (1), Bodrum (2) and Kocaeli (1).

Ukrainian communities meet and assist in the practical provision of the priority domestic, psychological, educational, cultural and, often, legal needs of our compatriots who have arrived in Turkey fleeing the Russian war.

According to the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey, Turkish is the only state language that is compulsory for all citizens of the country. The study of minority languages takes place primarily within the framework of cultural and educational NGOs, which also ensure the cultural, educational and information rights of minorities (libraries, electronic media, schools, clubs, artistic groups).

In order to meet the educational and cultural needs of children, community-based organisations have organised Saturday schools or Ukrainian classes, providing children with educational and fiction literature, cultural events, celebrations of national holidays, etc.

In addition, the Embassy, together with the relevant specialists of the Ukrainian community in Konya, established and launched a psychological support telephone service in early 2023, the main target audience of which is temporary displaced persons from Ukraine.

The Taras Shevchenko International Lyceum in Istanbul is run by the Ukrainian Cultural Society and is attended by Ukrainians and representatives of other nationalities. The educational process at the lyceum is carried out in cooperation with the International Ukrainian School under the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and according to the state curriculum of Ukrainian secondary schools.

With the support of the Embassy, the Cosulate General of Ukraine in Istanbul and the Cosulate General of Ukraine in Antalya, Ukrainian Saturday schools operate in Ankara, Antalya, Alanya, Istanbul, Alanya, Izmir, Bursa, Marmaris, Adana and Kusadasi. In 2022, the Embassy, together with the local Ukrainian community, launched a Saturday school in Konya and Ukrainian classes in Alanya. In 2023, a Ukrainian kindergarten was opened in Alanya, and Ukrainian Saturday schools were launched in Marmaris and Adana.

In particular, as of today, Ukrainian unions have Saturday schools and Ukrainian classes in Ankara, Istanbul, Alanya, Antalya, Bursa, Izmir, Konya, Mersin, Marmaris, Konya, Adana