Despite rockets and winter
There is no new refugee movement from Ukraine
01/28/2023, 11:20 am
In view of falling temperatures and destroyed infrastructure, experts expect more people to leave Ukraine. But according to the UN, even violent Russian rocket attacks have not yet triggered a new flight. However, far fewer refugees are returning to Ukraine than before.
According to the United Nations (UN), the current violent Russian rocket attacks have not triggered any new large movements of refugees from Ukraine. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said in Kyiv. During a visit to the neighboring Republic of Moldova, the authorities confirmed to him that there are currently not more people leaving Ukraine.
Aid organizations had initially expected a new refugee movement. The UN refugee agency warned at the end of December that “even more Ukrainians would probably flee their country” because “the infrastructure there is being systematically bombed”. The Ukraine team boss at the Catholic aid organization Caritas International, Gernot Krauss, also said in early January that “people in some areas have no choice but to leave” once temperatures drop. “We expect that there will be another wave.”
Refugees travel back less often
However, because of the winter, fewer people returned to Ukraine than before Russian missile attacks on Ukraine’s power system began last October. “The winter is very hard with the conflict in some regions,” said the 65-year-old. That’s not very encouraging for a lot of people. All in all, Grandi was in Ukraine for six days and visited the cities of Odessa, Mykolaiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv and Poltava.
The UN put the number of people fleeing Ukraine at almost 8 million. There are also around 6.5 million internally displaced persons. “You can make a comparison with Bosnia and the Balkans, but the flow of refugees was not that big, even though the conflict lasted for several years,” emphasized the UN diplomat.
UN appreciate support from Germany
Grandi found words of praise for Germany, which has taken in the second largest number of Ukrainian refugees after Poland. “It’s obviously very well organized,” he said. According to the federal government, more than a million Ukrainians have found shelter in Germany. Shortly before the outbreak of war last February, the Federal Republic was well prepared based on past experience. In addition, Germany is one of the main donors for the commissariat. “I think that Germany has given UNHCR more than 80 million euros since the beginning of the war,” said Grandi. The UN is very grateful for that.
Russia invaded Ukraine a little over 11 months ago. The invasion has triggered the largest refugee movement in Europe since World War II.