On February 24, 2022, a long-simmering crisis in Ukraine escalated into violence with devastating impact. By mid-March, it became the site of one of the world’s largest refugee crises, with 7.9 million Ukrainians displaced abroad as refugees, and an additional 6.5 million displaced internally.

As this renewed conflict approaches the one-year mark in February, it’s also entering what Concern’s Head of Emergency Operations, Ros O’Sullivan, describes as a “more stark” situation with winter conditions and both electricity and fuel shortages. UNOCHA estimates that 17.7 million people in Ukraine require humanitarian assistance.

How did it get so bad?

An armed conflict in eastern Ukraine began in Crimea in 2014, leaving people in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions facing nearly a decade of insecurity (compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic). The war has since resulted in the displacement of over 8 million Ukrainians, with an estimated 16.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Thousands have died as a result of the violence. The conflict is complex, with historical, political, and economic factors at play, but it ultimately boils down to a struggle for power and control in the region. Since the well-known invasion of Kyiv, both civilian deaths and the number of Ukrainians that are seeking refuge have increased which is visually demonstrated in the graph below.

What's being done

Concern began responding immediately to the crisis in Ukraine, and is partnered with German NGO Welthungerhilfe and Italian organization Cesvi to operate a joint emergency response from the center of the country, bringing supplies and cash to communities in the eastern and southern regions (both of which are host to large numbers of displaced Ukrainians).

Concern is also supporting some of the 4,000 special winter centers announced by the government in December, 2022 to provide heat, warmth, food, and charging points in areas where the electricity supply has been impacted.

This has not stopped fellow European countries from trying to help the people of Ukraine in need. Below are two visualizations that shows how much each country was giving to each Ukrainian citizen every month. (Approximate)

Who has the invasion affected?

The invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces in 2014 has had a profound impact on the people of Ukraine, with many experiencing displacement, violence, and economic hardship. The conflict has forced millions to flee their homes, with an estimated 1.6 million people internally displaced within Ukraine and over a million seeking refuge abroad, primarily in neighboring European countries. European nations have had to provide assistance to these refugees, with Germany taking in the largest number of refugees, followed by Poland, Sweden, and Italy, among others.

Over 2.5 million Ukrainians have fled to Russia since the conflict started, many of whom are believed to have had pro-Russian sentiments before the invasion. This influx of refugees has placed a significant strain on the resources and infrastructure of Russia, and has also had a profound impact on the lives of those who have been forced to flee their homes.

The conflict in Ukraine remains unresolved, and the displacement of millions of people continues to be a pressing humanitarian issue. Use the interactive visualization below to look through each country and find out how many Ukrainian's found refuge in that specific nation.

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