More than five million people or about a tenth of Ukraine's population is estimated to have fled their country since February 26th, making this the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. This is in addition to the many more who are internally displaced. As of April 24, neighboring Poland experienced by far the largest influx of refugees from Ukraine, with an estimated 2.94 million people entering the country, followed by Romania (793 thousand). Most of the refugees from Ukraine - in prevalence women, children, and elderly - have fled for safety, protection and assistance, separated from their families.
Host countries in Europe have met refugees from Ukraine with generous care packages and offers of shelter, transportation and food, while the EU has granted them rights to welfare support, jobs and education from day one of registration and for up to three years. With the war ongoing and its resolution uncertain, it is too early to tell whether most refugees from Ukraine will end up staying in the host countries. - blog.wb.org/blogs
A version of this article appears in the print on April 29, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
