Millions of refugees. These are only estimates, but those made by the United Nations humanitarian agencies are very high figures regarding the number of men, women and children who could move to the countries bordering Ukraine, after the war that broke out following the Russian invasion. The information changes from hour to hour but the certainty is that civilians, the most vulnerable people, those who are risking their lives and who at any moment have found themselves forced to leave everything they had are the first to answer.
Meanwhile, the neighboring countries, like Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia they signaled the arrival of the first groups on their borders. According to the first estimates of humanitarian agencies, about 200 thousand have already left the country. We talked about it with Chiara Cardolettirepresentative for Italy ofUNHCR, UN Refugee Agency.
What is the impact of the war on the Ukrainian population?
«The situation in Ukraine is very fluid and changes from hour to hour, we continue to receive reports of heavy bombing and civilian casualties. Military attacks near major cities including Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, Odessa, Mariupol and the capital Kiev have led people to flee using the most accessible routes to safety. When there are military interventions it is always a catastrophe, human lives wiped out, infrastructures destroyed. It is difficult at this time to confirm the exact numbers, but clearly there has been above all a significant shift within the country, hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing from major cities in the last few hours, and at least 50,000 outside the country, but the numbers are increasing as we speak. We are at the borders and comparing the reports with the authorities of the neighboring countries we can say that since yesterday about 30,000 people have fled to Poland, 20,000 to Moldova, and then lower numbers to the other borders ”.
What are the main problems?
«Security and access for humanitarian operations must be guaranteed, within Ukraine this is a problem. Security is the main challenge right now, we intend to stay to assist the population. Most people will not leave the country. Civilian lives and infrastructure must be protected and safeguarded at all times, in line with international humanitarian law. Another challenge we are facing is that of funding. Even before the start of the military offensive, Ukraine had over 850,000 internally displaced persons and hosted 5,000 refugees from other countries as well as 36,000 stateless persons. Currently our response plan is only 9% funded, immediate and unconstrained financial support is urgently needed to enable us to save lives. We need to support our humanitarian intervention, in Ukraine and in neighboring countries ».
How are neighboring countries responding?
«First of all we would like to thank the neighboring countries such as Poland, Moldova and the other countries who are preparing the welcome. UNHCR staff is at the border, we see queues of miles of cars trying to get out. The figures will increase and it will be a great challenge for the authorities of the neighboring countries. We are working with them to support them in their refugee registration, reception and accommodation efforts. European and international aid must be present and constant over time because ‘the crisis will not end soon’.
What actions are you taking?
“We have been preparing for this situation for weeks. We are facing a humanitarian crisis. UNHCR is present in Ukraine, and we are working with the authorities, the United Nations and other partners in the country. We are ready to provide humanitarian assistance wherever it is needed and possible. We have pre-positioned stocks of necessities in various locations in Ukraine, and we are ready to stay and provide assistance, but the current military actions and hostilities make this difficult. We have also strengthened our operations in neighboring countries, we have a long-standing presence in Hungary, Poland and Romania, as well as the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We are in contact and ready to support even countries that are outside the European Union such as fragile Moldova. We have also placed stocks in various locations in the region to cope with the likely increase in the flow of people on the run, and we are ready to support the governments of these countries. We are preparing to face even large numbers. It is clear that if hostilities do not cease immediately, the number of people forced to flee will increase substantially. We are confident that the European Union and the international community and the citizens of all these countries will show solidarity with the fleeing population ”.
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Source: Vanity Fair

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