More than 6.5 million people displaced within Ukraine – 3.5 million fled abroad
GENEVA – In Ukraine, more than 6.5 million people have been internally displaced by Russian attacks. They had to leave their homes, apartments, villages and towns because of the rocket attacks and bombings, the UN Organization for Migration (IOM) reported in Geneva on Monday.
In addition, there are quickly 3.5 million people who have fled across the borders to neighboring countries in the three and a half weeks since the beginning of the war, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). This means that practically a quarter of the former population is affected. Around 44 million people lived in Ukraine before the Russian invasion began. At least 186,000 people from other countries were among the refugees.
Not the first escape for many people
According to the IOM, 13.5 percent of those who fled had already been expelled, in 2014 or 2015. At that time, fighting erupted in the pro-Russian separatist regions in the east of the country and Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. Hundreds of thousands of people flee.
According to the IOM, the displaced people primarily need medication, medical care and cash. Among them are many particularly vulnerable people: pregnant and breastfeeding women, the elderly, people with disabilities and chronic illnesses, and people directly affected by violence. (awp/mc/pg)