Ukraine’s Refugee Crisis

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Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Jacob Lambert

On the 24th of February, Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. This is the culmination of years of rising tension between Russia and Ukraine, and the future of Ukraine is now unclear. Due to the uncertainty and general lack of safety that comes with war, thousands of Ukranian’s have fled their homes in search of safety. Although it may be safer, refugees have discovered trying to get out of Ukraine is no easy task.

 

Life for refugees has proven itself to be a challenge. Refugees may find that they are unable to move their possessions and are forced to bring only the essentials. One Ukrainian refugee commented on his situation telling a reporter, “We didn’t take anything—the children, that’s it. We didn’t take any money—the banks were closing, we could not withdraw money, our money was left in the office. We do not have anything, we left. We have enough money only for gas.” According to The New Yourker, trains heading for Ukraine’s borders have been overcroweded, and there is massive traffic on the roads delaying people from getting to Ukraine’s border.

 

The situation has led to a humanitarian crisis, with countries like Poland and Romania being unable to process all the refugees arriving at their borders.. Most Ukranians are fleeing to bordering countries, and according to the UN nearly two million people have fled to Poland. Countries are doing their best, but the sheer number of refugees is staggering. The EU has allowed refugees to stay and work in their countries for up to 3 years, and they are also eligible to receive social welfare, public schooling, housing, and medical treatment.

 

The EU says that they think the total number of refugees could reach up to 7 million. People living in Ukraine have had their lives completely uprooted due to the war. With such an extreme and abrupt change in these people’s lives may never be close to living the way they did before the war.