The United Nations (UN) says more than 14 million people are thought to have fled their homes since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
An estimated 6 million Ukrainian refugees have fled across the border to neighbouring European countries, while eight million people are displaced inside the war-torn country itself.
According to UN:
- Poland has taken in 3,418,077 refugees
- Romania 937,082
- Russia 875,597
- Hungary 620,846
- Moldova 466,406
- Slovakia 429,705
- Belarus 27,308
Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia have no border controls with other parts of the EU’s Schengen area. Many refugees who first arrived in these countries have since moved on to others.
The Czech Republic has granted about 350,000 emergency visas to Ukrainian refugees.
And more than 700,000 Ukrainians are in Germany, 40% of whom are children.
Some Ukrainians have travelled to Russia from the pro-Russian breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in the east.
Refugees are housed in reception centers if they can’t stay with friends or relatives. They are given food and medical care, and information about onward travel. They are entitled to social welfare payments and access to housing, medical treatment, and schools.
Poland, which has taken the highest number of refugees, and Moldova, which has the largest concentration of refugees by population, have both asked for international support to help fund their efforts.
In an historic move, the EU has given people fleeing the war in Ukraine the right to live and work within the EU for up to three years and has freed up several billions in unused money for Europe’s regions.
STORYTELLME Junior Technician
