Where are people fleeing inside Ukraine?
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by
marc54
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, warned people in the east of the country to evacuate ahead of the latest Russian assault, or risk their life.
How many were able to leave is unknown.
On Wednesday, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko told national TV about 100,000 people remained trapped in his city.
He said the government hoped to send 90 buses to evacuate about 6,000 people.
The UN’s 6.5 million figure is based on research carried out by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) between 9 and 16 March.
The actual total is likely to have increased in the subsequent weeks.
Of the 2,000 internally displaced people the IOM surveyed:
- nearly 30% had come from Kyiv, more than 36% had fled from the east of Ukraine and 20% had come from the north
- nearly 40% were now in the west of Ukraine, with less than 3% in Kyiv
- only 5% had left their homes in anticipation of the invasion, with the vast majority fleeing either at the start of the war or when it reached their area
The IOM estimates that more than half of the people who are internally displaced are women, and many are deemed particularly vulnerable because they are pregnant, have a disability or are a victim of violence
