Ten million people have had to flee their homes in Ukraine

The head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Italian Filippo Grandi, assured this Sunday that ten million people have had to leave their homes in Ukraine due to the Russian invasion, two-thirds of whom have remained within the country. Just under 3.5 million, on the other hand, have found refuge in neighboring countries.

“The war in Ukraine is so devastating that 10 million people have fled, either as internally displaced persons or as refugees abroad,” the UNHCR chief said on his Twitter account. “Among the responsibilities of those who wage war, around the world, is the suffering inflicted on civilians who are forced to flee their homes,” Grandi added.

Before the conflict, Ukraine’s population was 37 million in government-controlled regions, excluding Crimea (illegally annexed by Russia) and pro-Russian breakaway regions in the east. Of the total encrypted by Grandi, some 6.5 million moved within Ukraine. Initially, UNHCR estimated that some 4 million Ukrainians would leave the country as a result of the conflict unleashed by Vladimir Putin.

Exploitation and traffic hazard

According to UNHCR, 3,389,044 Ukrainians have left the country since the Russian invasion began on February 24 and another 60,352 have joined the exodus, according to the updated figures on Saturday. About 90 percent of those who have fled are women and children. Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 can be called up and thus cannot leave the territory.

According to Unicef, the UN agency for children, among those who fled abroad there are more than 1.5 million children. The organization warns of “real and growing” risks of trafficking and exploitation of human beings. In addition, according to data from Wednesday of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 162,000 third-country nationals also fled Ukraine to neighboring countries.

Grandi, visiting Afghanistan, said he understood the international concern about what is happening in Ukraine, but “as much as the world is legitimately worried about that war, Afghanistan is experiencing a very serious crisis,” so he called for urgent help as well. for the Asian country. (I)