[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 10 million refugees have been generated since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. As Russia continues indiscriminate bombings of civilian residential areas, there are concerns that the number of refugees will increase further.
On the 20th (local time), AFP reported that according to UNHCR's data, more than 10 million refugees have emerged from Ukraine since the outbreak of the war on the 24th of last month. This means that more than a quarter of the entire population has left their homes. Ukraine's total population is approximately 44 million, and excluding the population of the Crimean Peninsula, occupied by Russia in 2014, and the pro-Russian separatist regions in eastern Donbas, it is estimated to be about 37 million.
In particular, the number of refugees abroad was counted at 3,389,044, of which 90% are women and children. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) expressed concern that among the Ukrainians who fled abroad, more than 1.5 million are children, and they face increasing risks of human trafficking and other dangers. The internally displaced population is estimated to be about 6.48 million.
Meanwhile, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported that as of the 19th, at least 902 civilians have died and 1,459 have been injured in Ukraine. As Russian forces continue indiscriminate bombings in major cities such as Mariupol, there are concerns that casualties will increase significantly.
Meanwhile, as a large number of Ukrainian refugees have emerged, neighboring countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic are actively responding to accommodate refugees, but concerns are rising that their capacity is reaching its limits. In Poland, which is known to have received the largest number of refugees, the national stadium has been converted into a temporary registration facility for Ukrainian refugees. Since the outbreak of the war, Warsaw's population is reported to have increased by 17% due to the influx of Ukrainian refugees.
The Czech Parliament also passed a law this week to allow Ukrainian refugees easier access to jobs and health insurance and to increase classroom capacity. The Czech Minister of the Interior stated, "In response to the influx of refugees, we are extending the state of emergency and plan to relocate refugees from the capital Prague to other regions."
Moldova, a neighboring country of Ukraine and the poorest country in Europe, has requested refugee relocation assistance from the United Nations. With more than 200,000 refugees flooding in, it is already impossible to accommodate them, so Moldova has asked for distribution to other areas such as Romania. It is expected that controversies regarding the distribution and accommodation of refugees will increase among countries within the European Union (EU) in the future.
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