The People of Ukraine Are Suffering: Eastern Europe Braces for Winter Flood of Ukrainian Refugees – A new wave of Ukrainian refugees is expected to start arriving in eastern European countries in the coming months, as many neighboring states prepare to open new reception centers and begin launching new programs to help those running from the almost year-long Russian invasion.
According to data from the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, 4.5 million Ukrainian citizens have fled the country so far, with many going to neighboring states like Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. Some have even traveled further afield, with more than 100,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the United Kingdom by August this year.
Since the first surge of refugees leaving the country in early 2022, the number of people looking to escape Ukraine dropped as the summer approached – but according to a report from Reuters, charities are seeing signs of more people attempting to cross the border. The news comes as Russian forces forcefully evacuate residents in some occupied parts of the country, including Kherson in the south of the country.
According to aid coordinator Roman Dohovic, who works in Kosice, a city located in eastern Slovakia, the number of people leaving the country has increased by 15%.
“We are being called by people who are already staying in Kosice and looking for accommodation for family members and acquaintances who are still in Ukraine,” Dohovic said.
As many as 700,000 Ukrainians are now expected to cross into Slovakia over the next three months as temperatures drop and many parts of Ukraine struggle to keep the lights on and their homes warm.
Can Ukraine Survive the Winter?
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told state media recently that residents of Ukraine’s capital city should brace for a tough winter, with constant Russian strikes on energy infrastructure causing major problems for the country.
As a result of Russian attacks, many Ukrainians could be left without access to running water, heat, or electricity – a crisis that is driving an outflux of more Ukrainians out of the country and into neighboring states.
“We are doing everything to avoid this. But let’s be frank, our enemies are doing everything for the city to be without heat, without electricity, without water supply, in general, so we all die. And the future of the country and the future of each of us depends on how prepared we are for different situations,” Klitschko said.
Blackouts are already common in major Ukrainian cities, and with Russia rumored to be preparing a new offensive in the new year, this winter could become the calm before the storm. While the fighting will continue, Russia could depend on more drone strikes on energy infrastructure in the country to put as much pressure on Kyiv as possible to give in to the Kremlin’s demands.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
