Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine
Three weeks into the Russian war on Ukraine and the number of those fleeing has exceeded three million, with organisations on the ground warning that their plight is worsening by the day.
The Disasters Emergency Committee, a coalition of 15 leading UK aid charities brought together at times of crisis overseas, says the “nature of the refugee crisis is changing” as the conflict spreads across Ukraine, deepening the need for humanitarian aid.
“The first wave of people who fled the conflict in Ukraine mostly had connections and relatives in neighbouring countries,” said Madara Hettiarachchi, the DEC’s Director of Humanitarian Programmes and Accountability.
“Now the people escaping have few family ties, have nowhere to go and are deeply traumatised from what they have seen and experienced. We are also seeing an increase in the number of unaccompanied children, and we can only imagine the fear and turmoil they are feeling.”
Ms Hettiarachchi said worsening violence means more of the refugees are people fleeing rapidly with few possessions. She warned that local capacity for receiving refugees is also struggling to keep up with the numbers arriving.
“The needs of these refugees is potentially far more acute as they have fled later, with fewer possessions and less resources. They are living in crowded temporary accommodation and need basic necessities — food and water. As the crisis unfolds, and the humanitarian needs deepen, the work of DEC charities is needed more than ever,” said Ms Hettiarachchi.
DEC member charities are finding that the elderly and children are particularly vulnerable, and many older people are caring for the very young.
In Moldova, the situation is acute as the country has the highest number of refugees per capita, with 230,000 in a population of 2.6 million.
Two minutes to leave their home
Dan Stewart from Save the Children, which is working inside Ukraine and neighbouring countries to help provide children and families with immediate aid, said there were already worrying signs of the psychological impact on refugees, children in particular.
“One of the biggest fears for children coming across the border is the long-term impact of the horrendous and traumatic experiences they've been through,” he said.
“A mum told me that she and her three kids had had two minutes, literally two minutes, to leave their home when one of their friends suddenly had a car that could take them to the border. Two minutes to abandon your entire life and leave your home behind. Her nine-year-old daughter was really quiet and withdrawn and her mum said that sometimes she just starts crying.
-
Smoke rising in Kyiv, which mayor Vitali Klitschko says faces a 'difficult and dangerous moment' as Russian forces step up strikes. AFP -
Pope Francis meets visitors holding the Ukrainian flag during his weekly general audience in the Vatican. AFP -
An anti-war protester demonstrates against Russia's invasion of Ukraine in front of the Nato headquarters in Brussels. AFP -
A poster in Saint Petersburg carries the letter Z, a symbol of support for the invasion, and reads: "We are proud of Russia! We are not ashamed!" AFP -
Amid the Ukraine war, there's time for a seaside stroll in Odesa. Reuters -
A child who fled from Ukraine to Belgium waits outside an immigration office in Brussels. EPA -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy receives a standing ovation as he appears via videoconference to make an address to Canada's Parliament. AP -
A woman walks with a bicycle next to a building damaged during the conflict in the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha, Donetsk region. Reuters -
A firefighter outside a destroyed apartment building in a residential area of Kyiv. AP -
Ukrainian soldiers pay tribute to Col Valeriy Gudz, who was killed in battle against Russian troops, at a cemetery in the town of Boryspil. AP -
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a housing block hit by shelling in the Sviatoshynsky district, in western Kyiv. AFP -
Two people were killed as a series of powerful explosions rocked residential districts in Kyiv just hours before talks between Ukraine and Russia were set to resume. AFP -
The Met Opera and Chorus performs during 'A Concert For Ukraine' in New York City. AFP -
A worker welds metal at the Interpipe Steel plant in Dnipro, Ukraine. Hundreds of Interpipe’s 10,000 employees have joined the fight against Russia. AP -
A woman is rescued by firefighters from her apartment in a burning building that was hit by artillery shells in Kyiv. AP -
Rescuers work at a building damaged by an air strike, in central Kharkiv, Ukraine. Reuters -
A woman who fled Ukraine to Belgium waits outside an immigration office, in Brussels. EPA -
Cars stuck at the Irpin River bridge, as Russia unleashes a barrage of air strikes on cities across Ukraine. AFP -
A firefighter looks at a section of a Ukrainian Tochka-U missile on a street in the separatist Donetsk region. The Russian military said 20 civilians were killed by a ballistic missile launched by the Ukrainian forces. AP -
Musician Davide Martello plays a piano near the Ukrainian border in Medyka, Poland. More than 1.76 million people have crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border into Poland, the Polish Border Guard reported on March 14. EPA -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, snaps a selfie with a wounded man during a visit at a military hospital after fighting in the Kyiv region.AFP -
Ukrainian soldiers carry rocket-propelled grenades and sniper rifles as they walk towards the city of Irpin, north-west of Kyiv. AFP -
Troops carry an elderly woman on a stretcher across a makeshift bridge as Ukrainians flee Irpin. AFP -
Irina Moprezova, 54, stands in front of a house that was damaged by an air strike in Irpin. AFP -
The flags of Russia and Ukraine are projected on the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, which a representative from the Jerusalem Municipality said is a show of support for diplomatic dialogue between the countries. Reuters -
A person holds a Ukrainian flag during an anti-war demonstration at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. Reuters -
A Ukrainian soldier takes cover as people flee Irpin. AFP -
Ukrainians shelter in an underground train station during the day in Kyiv. EPA -
A Ukrainian serviceman walks carefully with his weapon in the city of Irpin, near Kyiv. AFP -
Ukrainian people flee the city of Irpin, north-west of Kyiv. AFP -
Ukrainian servicemen carry an elderly woman on a stretcher from the city of Irpin. AFP -
A girl plays games on her tablet inside a subway carriage being used as a bomb shelter in Kyiv. AFP -
A Ukrainian firefighter drags a hose inside a large food products storage facility which was destroyed by an air strike on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP -
Ukrainian troops with a Javelin anti-tank missile on the front line in the northern Kyiv region. Reuters -
A woman carries her dog during an evacuation in Irpin. Reuters -
A Ukrainian woman takes shelter in a metro station during the day in Kyiv. EPA -
A member of the Ukrainian armed forces on patrol in Irpin. Reuters -
A Ukrainian fighter takes cover behind a car in the city of Irpin. AFP -
Firefighters at work after air strikes hit residential buildings in Chernihiv, northern Ukraine. AFP -
A man wounded in an air strike is helped by medical staff in Novoiavorivsk, western Ukraine. Getty -
The ruins of the Ukraine Hotel after recent shelling in Chernihiv. EPA
“Children are incredibly resilient and they can bounce back from so much, but they need help. And that’s why we’re scaling up rapidly across the region to make sure that more and more children get the emotional support they need to recover.”
Children in 'serious distress'
Plan International’s Global Lead for Child Protection Emergencies, Anita Queirazza, has been meeting refugees in Romania. She had similar concerns.
“Children have experienced serious distress, some of them have witnessed direct violence,” she said. “Others, even if they haven’t experienced direct violence, they have experienced disruptive changes in their family or in their community, they had to flee their home, they are separated from their families.
“Children may have a lot of questions at the moment, and they might have trouble sleeping at night, they might have nightmares so it’s really important that parents know how to support children at such a difficult time, as children might display different behavioural reactions,” says Ms Queirazza.
Plan International has sent urgent response teams to Moldova, Romania and Poland to begin understanding how to best support children by working with local organisations.
-
A girl holds her infant sibling at a temporary shelter for Ukrainian refugees in Przemysl, Poland. AFP -
Ukrainian refugees wait to board a train leaving Krakow, Poland, for Berlin. Getty -
A Ukrainian girl is pushed in a trolley at the Velke Slemence border crossing in Slovakia. Getty -
Refugees waits for their train to leave Krakow on its way to Berlin. Getty -
A Ukrainian woman emerges from a Red Cross tent at a border crossing in Slovakia. Getty -
A woman walks on the track of an athletics complex that has been turned into a refugee shelter in Chisinau, Moldova. AFP -
Medical staff visit Ukrainian child refugees at the Church of Saint Sofia in Rome, Italy. EPA -
A woman who fled the conflict stands with her child at a refugee centre in Palanca, Moldova. EPA -
People, some who fled Ukraine, line up at a ticket counter at a train station in Warsaw, Poland. AP -
Refugees wait for transport In Medyka, Poland, after crossing the Ukrainian border. AFP
Refugees 'traumatised and unsure'
Caritas Poland, the largest charity in the country, said the “fastest-growing group” of people fleeing were those who had stayed in Ukraine “until they really had no choice but to run”.
“People who evacuated in a matter of minutes,” said Natasza Bogacz of the charity. “And they very often have no onward destination, nowhere to go. This seems to be the fastest-growing group. It’s hard because we don't really know what's going to happen to them, especially the older people. Many of them are very vulnerable and weak, but also they're often in a very bad psychological state. Many of them have never been outside Ukraine before. They don't understand why this is happening.”
Tatiana Sorocan, country director at HelpAge Moldova, a partner of Age International, said older refugees were struggling with “chaos and uncertainty” with their needs changing daily.
“They are traumatised and unsure about their future, or their next moves,” she said. “We are working hard to give them a sense of stability, while looking after their basic needs. Our primary focus is to ensure that they and those they are travelling with have enough cash to be able to buy essentials like food, medication, or warm clothes to protect them against the harsh conditions.
“Many of the older people we are meeting are travelling with children. This caregiver role is crucial to the stability of refugee families and means that they need money and aid to support younger members of their family too.”
Age International is working inside Ukraine through local partners and in neighbouring countries to support older people. It is providing emergency food and water kits, medical, hygiene and dignity kits.
The DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has raised £175 million to help people fleeing the conflict both inside Ukraine and on its borders, including £25 million matched by the UK government.
