Russian invasion internally displaced over 7 million Ukrainians in last week of May

The Russia-Ukraine war has now lasted for over 100 days, inflicting immense human suffering as millions are forced to leave their homes amid the escalated bombings in nearly all pockets of the ex-Soviet nation. According to estimates by the United Nations, at least 10 million people have been displaced internally and externally since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the "unprovoked" invasion. The mass exodus, including over 7 million in the last weeks of May, said the International Organisation of Migration (IOM).

According to a survey conducted by the IOM, "over 7.1 million were displaced internally by the last week of May." The report further added, that at least 64% of the Ukrainians who left their homes during this period in search of safety also lost their jobs. The geographical scope of the assessment covered the entire territory of Ukraine, all five macro-regions (East, North, Centre, South, and the city of Kyiv) in Ukraine, IOM said.

Over 5 million people fled to EU nations since Feb 24

The influx of refugees to neighbouring European Union countries has increased by the day since the war gained momentum in the east. Initially, a few hundred Ukrainians headed towards the West to seek shelter, soon the number crossed a million as hundreds of residential quarters were mowed down due to Russian shelling and air raids. According to Frontex, the European Border, and Coast Guard Agency, over 5.3 million people have moved to EU countries, most accommodated in Poland. As of April 29, a total of 5,468,629 Ukrainians entered Poland, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania on February 24.

Poland has accepted the most number of refugees, 2,720,622, followed by Romania- 726,857 and Moldova- 484,725. Meanwhile, according to UN Refugee Agency, border crossing has also increased significantly since February 24. As of June 1, the UNHCR has recorded at least 6,983,04. On the other hand, Frontex also added that recently more people have been returning to Ukraine than leaving the country.

Russia-Ukraine war

For the unversed, Putin launched the "unprovoked" invasion of Ukraine on February 24 after he unilaterally identified two separatist-held regions of Ukraine- Donetsk, and Luhansk, collectively known as Donbass. In the first phase of the war, the invading forces aggressively approached the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv, most likely to capture and topple the Ukrainian government, experts said. However, after the botched attempt, the troops focused on the "second phase" of the war, aiming for "liberation" of Donbass region, which holds a mostly Russian-speaking population. Moscow has accused Kyiv of committing "genocide" in the pro-Russian regions.

(Image: AP)