Russia claims Ukrainian refugees in Europe are 'simply lost & will face unenviable fate'

A Russian Foreign Ministry official representative believes that Ukrainian refugees in Europe will face an "unenviable fate" at a time when life has started to get better in Russian-occupied regions. She said that life is "improving" in Russian captured regions and infrastructure is being developed in these territories for the first time in three decades, TASS reported. She said that Ukrainians refugees who have travelled to Europe have not been able to find work.

It is pertinent to mention here that Ukrainians have fled their homes and moved to other nations to escape war ever since Russia launched an offensive in Ukraine. According to UNHCR, around 5,827,832 people left Ukraine and they have been living in Europe since the onset of the military conflict.

Maria Zakharova stressed that the people who have moved to European nations "feel their dependence, dissatisfied looks" of people moving around and added that the refugees "are simply lost", TASS reported citing her post on Telegram. Zakharova called it "infuriating" and blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the US responsible for it. She accused Ukrainian armed forces of shelling civilian infrastructure and killing children. 

Over 9,172,150 people left Ukraine since February 24: UNHCR 

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has said that 9,172,153 people left Ukraine and moved to other nations since Russian forces launched an offensive in Kyiv. According to UNHCR, 5,827,832 people have travelled to EU nations after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Of the total number of Ukrainian refugees scattered across Europe, 3,665,123 refugees from Ukraine registered for temporary Protection or similar protection schemes in Europe. Notably, several EU nations have been supporting Ukraine with humanitarian and defence assistance ever since Russia began its aggression. 

Most Ukrainian refugees expect to stay in host countries until hostilities subside 

The UNHCR in a recent report said that around two-thirds of Ukrainian refugees expect to stay in their host countries until hostilities subside and the security situation in their nation gets better. The report titled 'Lives on Hold: Profiles and Intentions of Refugees from Ukraine,' is based on interviews with roughly 4,900 Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia between mid-May and mid-June 2022.

The majority of survey respondents expressed hope to return to their homes at the earliest, according to the research. The refugees have expressed concerns about their future due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. According to the UNHCR report, 16% of people plan to go back to Ukraine in the coming two months, with 15% of them just intending to remain for a short time to visit relatives, collect supplies, or assist family members in leaving.

Image: AP