Insight Bureau: Amid Russia Ukraine conflict, nearly 4 million refugees have flooded out of Ukraine with fewer have crossed the border in recent days. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine offers few signs whether it’s just a pause or a permanent drop-off, many say.
In the first two weeks after Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, about 2.5 million people in Ukraine’s pre-war population of 44 million fled the country to avoid the bombs and attacks. In the second two weeks, the number of refugees was roughly half that.
Some Ukrainians are sticking it out to fight or help defend their country. Others have left their homes but are staying elsewhere in Ukraine, others are elderly or sick and need extra help moving anywhere. And some remain, as one refugee put it, because “homeland is homeland.”
The total exodus now stands at 3.87 million, according to the latest tally announced Monday from UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency, which includes figures up through Sunday. But in the previous 24 hours, only 45,000 crossed Ukraine’s borders to seek safety, the slowest one-day count yet.
