Honcharova dares not leave as she is stateless, meaning she is not recognised as a citizen of any country. “I’m afraid that if I decided to leave I wouldn’t be able to cross checkpoints or borders because I don’t have documents,” Honcharova told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a video call. “I’m also very scared they’d separate me from my children because I have no proof that I’m their mother.” Ukraine here is home to tens of thousands of stateless people, many of whom - without proof of identity - have been left effectively trapped in areas of fighting as checkpoints proliferate across the country. […] Although neighbouring countries have opened their borders, Kordonets only knew of a handful of stateless people who had left Ukraine, some carrying expired Soviet passports. […] In 2014, the United Nations launched a campaign called #IBelong to end the plight of millions of stateless people worldwide within a decade. Last year, Ukraine introduced a procedure to identify and protect stateless people on its territory, and potentially provide them with a route to citizenship. But only 55 people have been recognised to date. Hundreds of other applications, including Honcharova’s, have been put on hold following the outbreak of war. Honcharova was born during the dying days of the Soviet Union in what is now southwest Russia, but grew up in Ukraine in the care of a woman she regarded as her grandmother although not related. She never knew her father and has lost touch with her mother. She first applied for Ukrainian citizenship when she was 16, but was refused. […] “I feel like I don’t exist,” she said. “All I want is an ID card so I can live and move forward.” Honcharova said the invasion had left her ashamed she was even born in Russia.” Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, Challenges Facing Stateless People Displaced by the War in Ukraine, 31 March 2022 "Following Russia’s invasion, stateless people and those at risk of statelessness have encountered barriers in the country and at Ukraine’s Western borders - depending on their documentation, residence status and personal background. There have been reports of discrimination and differential treatment both at border crossings and inside neighbouring countries, despite their public commitment to welcome everyone fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. Undocumented Roma, for instance, have been experiencing discrimination en route to safety both in Ukraine and bordering countries. As ENS points out, a key challenge that government officials and humanitarian actors must be aware of is that “most people affected by statelessness residing in Ukraine will not be able to prove their residence or nationality status due to the nature of statelessness”. The European Union's EU Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) grants protection in the EU to Ukrainian citizens, those with international protection before 24 February 2022 and stateless people - but only if they held permanent residence in Ukraine before 24 February 2022. Therefore, it does not include stateless people who do not hold (or cannot demonstrate) permanent residence status in Ukraine. ENS recommends that“The EU should extend eligibility for temporary protection to all stateless persons and persons at risk of statelessness who are/were living in Ukraine, regardless of documentation or residence status. EU Member States should use their discretion under the TPD to extend Temporary Protection to all stateless persons and those at risk of statelessness regardless of prior residence status in Ukraine and/or ensure access to equivalent forms of protection under national law.”" ADC Memorial, Roma women and girls in the conflict zone need protection, 31 March 2022 "In 2014, the number of Roma people who left their places of residence in the war zone in Donbas was estimated at about 6,000. All the problems characteristic of the Roma communities in Eastern Europe (lack of personal documents, insufficient level of education, poverty, risk of becoming a target of racist violence) have been exacerbated by the war. Roma women find themselves in a particularly difficult situation, as in traditional communities they are responsible for housekeeping, cooking and childcare, and it is they who have searched for ways to survive in a situation of war characterised by the daily risk of being exposed to violence coming from armed groups. […] 52