Europe is witnessing waves of protests across several countries, including France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Albania, with the high cost of living, housing shortages and economic pressures emerging as common themes. Europe has mostly been dealing with the aftermath of one of the continent’s biggest refugee crises in modern history: the displacement caused by the Russia-Ukraine war While US President Donald Trump has linked the unrest in France to migration and Islam.
As governments struggle to expand housing and public services, the war’s impact continues to be felt far beyond Ukraine’s borders. By the end of 2025, there were 5.9 million Ukrainian refugees worldwide, with more than 5 million hosted across Europe, according to UNHCR.
“The war in Ukraine has been the fastest-growing and largest displacement crisis in Europe since World War II and has precipitated a regional refugee response of commensurate scale,” UNHCR said. “The refugee crisis in Ukraine represents an unprecedented burden for Europe,” Habitat for Humanity said, noting that millions of displaced Ukrainians have faced challenges accessing housing, healthcare, education and social services. “The historic mass outflow of people fleeing the unprovoked Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has placed significant pressures on the reception capacities of OECD and EU countries,” the OECD said, adding that access to housing remains among the most pressing challenges facing refugees.
