Humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine

Humanitarian crisis in Europe – hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians on the western and southern borders of the country are asking for asylum. If the situation does not change, millions of Ukrainians will become refugees.

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians flock to neighboring countries – Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova, fleeing the war.

In the past five days since the start of the Russian invasion, nearly 300,000 people have crossed the Ukrainian-Polish border alone. Many get here on foot, spending several days on the road almost without personal belongings. At some border crossings, queues are up to 15 kilometers long.

By Monday evening, at least 500,000 Ukrainian refugees had arrived in the EU, according to a Greek publication. Efsin.

In Romania, the Commissioner EU Interior Minister Ylva Johansson visited the border crossing where thousands of refugees are staying, reports euronews.

“My special duty as Commissioner for Home Affairs is to make sure that those people who can get to the border with the European Union are warmly welcomed,” Johansson said.

The vast majority of these refugees are women and children. All Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 who are subject to mobilization are not allowed to leave the country. This is one of the biggest humanitarian crises in Europe since recent history since World War II. The number of separated families, according to analysts, may already be in the hundreds of thousands.

Long queues of cars and buses have lined up at checkpoints at the borders of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and non-EU Moldova. Many cross the border on foot, taking only the essentials with them.

One of the most difficult situations in Kyiv, where residents of the city have been hiding in bomb shelters and the subway for the 5th day. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi urged the UN Security Council not to remain idle, recalling that a sixth night of suffering is falling on Europe. Millions of innocent Ukrainian civilians huddle in air raid shelters, trying to squeeze into overcrowded trains bound for safety, and fearfully think about the future of their children. “The situation is developing so quickly, and the level of risk is so high that representatives of humanitarian organizations cannot provide Ukrainians with everything they need on a permanent basis…,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

UN humanitarian workers, he said, along with their NGO partners, remain in Ukraine. They, like millions of civilians, found themselves in the midst of a deadly conflict. Many humanitarian workers also move from place to place.

The situation inside Ukraine is very difficult. Hundreds of thousands of people seek asylum in neighboring countries. They need, first of all, security and protection, but also temporary housing, food, hygiene products and other support.”

UNICEF/V. Moskalyuk February 27, 2022. People are fleeing Ukraine, walking along vehicles lined up on the border between Ukraine and Poland.

“Ordinary citizens of Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia and other European countries provide assistance, showing extraordinary humanity and kindness. They are driven by a sense of humanity, so necessary in times of crisis,” said Filippo Grandi.

He urged governments to keep their borders open to anyone who has to flee: “Ukrainians, of course, but also third-country nationals living in Ukraine – people who work and study there, and in some cases as refugees “.

Rapid Exodus

“At the moment, there are 520,000 refugees from Ukraine in neighboring countries. Since Thursday, this figure has been skyrocketing, hour by hour. I have been working in refugee crises for almost 40 years, but I have rarely seen such an incredibly rapid exodus – the most massive, of course, in Europe since the Balkan wars,” said Filippo Grandi. According to him, more than 280 thousand people fled to Poland. Another 94,000 to Hungary, about 40,000 are currently in Moldova, 34,000 in Romania, 30,000 in Slovakia, and tens of thousands in other European countries.

“I am also aware that a significant number have gone to the Russian Federation,” Grandi added.

Representatives of many Russian NGOs appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin with an appeal to immediately end the war on the territory of Ukraine. Representatives of civil society called the outbreak of war a “humanitarian catastrophe”, which “multiplies pain and suffering.”

“We oppose the military actions that our country is carrying out on the territory of Ukraine. All our work is a struggle for human dignity, saving lives. War is incompatible neither with life, nor with dignity, nor with the basic principles of humanity,” the text of the appeal of human rights activists quotes.New Newspaper“.

Representatives of NGOs said that they consider the use of force to resolve political conflicts inhumane and called on the country’s leadership to cease fire and start negotiations. Signatures under the appeal to Putin have already been put by 86 representatives of NGOs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a special televised address on February 24, said that a special operation would be carried out in the Donbass in order to protect the civilian population. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that the Russians support the special military operation of the Russian troops in the Donbass no less than the recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.

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