Ukraine-Russia war rages on as refugees pile up
More than 15.8 million Ukrainians have been externally displaced, with majority of them being women
DATA POINT
Over 285 days have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine and escalations continue unabated. On December 6, drones struck inside Russia’s border with Ukraine exposing the vulnerability of some of Moscow’s most important military sites. The Ukrainian officials did not formally confirm carrying out drone strikes inside Russia, and they have maintained ambiguity over previous high-profile attacks.
A fire broke out at an airport in Russia’s southern Kursk region that borders Ukraine after a drone hit the facility, the region’s governor said on Tuesday. In a second incident, an industrial plant 80 km from the Ukrainian border was targeted by drones, which missed a fuel depot at the site.
Moscow blamed Kyiv for attacks on two air bases deep inside Russia on December 5. The attacks on the Engels base in the Saratov region on the Volga River and the Dyagilevo base in the Ryazan region in western Russia were some of the most brazen inside Russia during the war. The Engels base hosts Tu-95 and Tu-160 nuclear-capable strategic bombers that have been involved in strikes on Ukraine. Dyagilevo houses tanker aircraft used for mid-air refueling.
In the aftermath, Russian troops carried out another wave of missile strikes on Ukrainian territory, struck homes and killed civilians, compounding damage done to power and other infrastructure over weeks of missile attacks. On the night of December 5, Russia shelled towns near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that left over 9,000 homes without running water. The towns lie across the Dnieper River from the nuclear plant, which was seized by the Russian forces in the early stages of the war. Russia and Ukraine have, for months, accused each other of shelling at the plant.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday visited the frontline region of Donetsk in east Ukraine, describing fighting in the area as "difficult" with Russian forces pushing to capture the industrial city of Bakhmut.
Map 1 depicts the situation as of day 286 of the war. The regions controlled by Russia currently and before February 24, 2022, are highlighted. Cities such as Mariupol and Melitopol, large sections of Luhansk and Kherson Oblasts are still under the control of Russia.
As of November 29, more than 15.8 million Ukrainians have been externally displaced. About 7.9 million of them took refuge in European nations as shown in Map 2. More than 10 lakh refugees from Ukraine have crossed to Germany and Poland, while about 3 to 5 lakh have moved to France, Spain and the Czech Republic.
A majority of the refugees were women and 78% have been separated from their immediate family members. Chart 3 shows the reasons behind such separations. The primary reason was military conscription, wherein men were mandatorily enrolled for service in Ukraine’s armed forces. Other separations were due to some family members refusing to leave the country or could not leave due to restrictions on movement. The results are based on a survey conducted by the UNHCR between May and September 2022
About 46% of the refugees had received university-level education, while almost 30% were vocationally trained. Above 70% of them were employed before being forced to leave. Chart 4 shows the educational levels of the displaced refugees and their employment status before leaving Ukraine.
With the war showing no signs of abating, more than 60% of the refugees intend to continue as refugees, with only 13% wanting to move back to Ukraine. Chart 5 shows the near future intentions of Ukrainian refugees.
Ukraine-Russia war rages on as refugees pile up https://epaper.thehindu.com/ccidist-ws/th/th_kochi/issues/17724/OPS/GSKAJUBTN.1+G3HAJUHSK.1.html
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