More than 4.1 million Ukrainians have fled war in their country following the Russian invasion on 24th February, the biggest refugee wave in Europe since WWII. 90% of refugees are women and children, as men eligible for military call-up are banned to leave the country. The UN International Organisation for Migration said that more than 200,000 non-Ukrainians have also fled, some of them having difficulties returning to their countries of origin. The UN also estimates that almost 6.5 million people are displaced within Ukraine, which puts the number of people displaced at more than a quarter of the country’s population. UNICEF says more than half of Ukraine’s 7.5 million children have been displaced, either internally or abroad. Before the conflict, Ukraine had a population of 37 million in the regions under its control, excluding Russia-annexed Crimea and the pro-Russian separatist regions in the east.
Eugen Cojocariu, Radio România Internațional
