Ukraine: refugees and internally displaced persons number 12.7 million, the largest European exodus since World War II

Ukrainians who have left their homes as a result of the Russian invasion number 12.7 million, including 5 million refugees in other countries and 7.7 million internally displaced persons on Ukrainian soil, as reported on Thursday by the United Nations (UN).

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) today raised the number of internally displaced persons to 7.7 million, 600,000 more than in its previous estimate on April 1, while the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) put the number of refugees at 5.08 million, 50,000 more than on Wednesday.

The figures assume that one-sixth of the Ukrainian population are internally displaced and more than a tenth refugees in other countries, an exodus that was not known on the European continent since the end of World War II.

According to IOM, at least 60 per cent of internally displaced persons in Ukraine are women and more than half of this group, especially in the east of the country, have indicated that they have problems finding food.

Obtaining cash is the main concern of these internally displaced persons, followed by access to medicines and medical equipment, according to the IOM study.

“A humanitarian ceasefire is crucial to enable aid delivery and access to communities that are now difficult to access,” said IOM Director General António Vitorino in a statement.

Some 15% of internally displaced persons plan to return to their homes within the next two weeks (mostly located in the capital Kiev and other areas in the north of the country), while 8% reported that the conflict has caused damage to their homes, according to IOM.

For its part, the US Government announced on Thursday a plan to expedite the arrival of Ukrainian refugees due to the war and advance the commitment made in March by President Joe Biden to welcome up to 100,000 people fleeing the conflict.

In a teleconference with journalists, senior White House officials explained that the plan, dubbed “United for Ukraine,” will allow US citizens, businesses and organizations to “sponsor” Ukrainians to welcome them to the United States.

According to government sources, the high number of Ukrainians with family ties or friends in the United States means that the program will benefit a large part of asylum-seekers.

The application process for this program will be available from next Monday, April 25, online.

As the exodus of Ukrainians and the advance of Russian troops grow, especially in the east of the country, the Government of Ukraine demanded the opening of a humanitarian corridor from the Azovstal steel plant in the besieged the coastal city of Mariupol, to evacuate the 1,000 civilians and 500 soldiers who endure the siege of the Russians.

“We demand from the Russians an urgent humanitarian corridor from the Mariupol Azovstal plant!” , the deputy prime minister of Ukraine, Iryna Vereshchuk, said on her Telegram account.

According to the government official, there are now about 1,000 civilians and 500 soldiers injured. “Everyone must be removed from Azovstal today!” , he reiterated.

He also called on “world leaders and the international community to focus their efforts on Azovstal now. Now this is a key point and a key moment for the humanitarian effort!” , Vereshchuk emphasized.

The Azovstal steel plant is, according to the Russians, the only enclave in Mariupol that resists its attacks. Ukrainian civilians and soldiers are still sheltering in its tunnels and facilities in subhuman conditions.

The rest of the city, on the shores of the Sea of Azov, has been practically destroyed by Russian bombardments since the start of the invasion of the country on 24 February.

It was precisely Russia's Defense Minister Sergey Shoigou who said today that the country's armed forces have taken control of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, although he admitted that there is a bag of resistance left in the Azovstal steel mill.

(With information from EFE)

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