Whereas the Danish Refugee Council was operational in the return of Crimean Tatars to Ukraine in the 1990s, DRC only returned to Ukraine in 2007, in order to provide technical assistance to government asylum authorities and refugee-related civil society.

In 2009, DRC efforts increased and expanded in order to help one of the most vulnerable and most overlooked categories of asylum seekers/refugees in Ukraine-- the children, and, in particular, those who must subsist without parents or adult family members.

Capacity-Building of Asylum Officials and Civil Society
This is a two-year project financed by the European Commission AENEAS programme. The primary objective of the project is to improve the asylum procedures and protection offered to asylum seekers in Ukraine in accordance with international standards. Specifically, DRC assists Ukrainian authorities to be able to apply fair, equal and informed asylum decisions, to build the capacity of civil society to complement asylum processing and the provision of protection, and to foster better dialogue and co-operation between  civil society and government authorities.

The project held seminars and one-on-one trainings for government asylum authorities on asylum procedure and the use of Country of Origin Information (COI) in status decision making. DRC subsequently created a COI Unit at the heart of the asylum authorities and published and distributed nationwide an RSD Manual for official use by asylum officers.

One of paramount achievements is the establishment and development of a civil society platform, the Ukrainian Refugee Council. The Ukrainian Refugee Council unifies 12 NGOs protecting legal and social rights of refugees and asylum seekers across Ukraine.

In pursuing close cooperation and increase of comprehension between state and civil society, DRC has initiated and facilitated the creation of a Joint State-NGO Forum (or “Civil Council”) which has proven to be a useful mechanism to resolve issues related to the ample problems of refugees and asylum seekers in Ukraine.

Legal and Social Protection of Asylum Seeking and Refugee Children
In February 2009, DRC launched a second project in Ukraine, thanks to financing by the European Commission. “Legal and Social Protection of Asylum Seeking and Refugee Children in Ukraine” is designed to support the government of Ukraine to fulfill its obligations towards vulnerable asylum seeking and refugee children by developing legal and institutional systems, strengthening social assistance and support for orientation and adaptation of children into Ukrainian society, and developing models of temporary care for unaccompanied asylum seeking children.