Refugees sleeping in Vaud bunkers

Wednesday, 28 October 2026 at 06:35

Around a hundred refugees in Vaud have been sleeping in civil-defence bunkers for months, as the cantonal migrant service runs out of beds

Ukrainian resident Yurii Smirnov says the dirt, lack of light and overcrowding have wrecked his mental health — he now sleeps outside instead.

The underground sites at Clarens and Échallens hold around a hundred men between them, with stays close to the six-month legal maximum.

The service is short of four hundred places for next year, and has not ruled out opening more shelters if alternatives can't be found.

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