By AJLabs, 8 Jul 2023
Five-hundred days ago, in the early hours of a cold February morning, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its western neighbour, Ukraine. The Kremlin had hoped for a quick “special military operation” but 16-and-a-half months later, fighting is still raging with no immediate end in sight.
As the war reaches another grim milestone on Saturday, here are just some of the sombre ways it has upended life for tens of millions of people:
6.3 million Ukrainians have become refugees, according to the United Nations’ refugee agency (UNHCR)
9,083 civilians have been killed in Ukraine, according to the latest figures from the UN’s rights office (OHCHR); the real toll, however, is feared to be much higher
15,779 civilians have been wounded in Ukraine, according to the OHCHR
Military casualties on both sides of the war are difficult to establish and verify; the warring sides often estimate rival losses, and are understood to downplay their own
The cost of destruction is thought to be more than $143bn*, according to the latest findings from the Kyiv School of Economics
It is estimated that Russia controls less than 20 percent of Ukrainian territory
More than 6 million refugees
The conflict has led to the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II, with 6.3 million people forced to flee Ukraine since the invasion on February 24, 2022. The vast majority of them – 5,967,100 – went to other European countries.
An additional six million are internally displaced within Ukraine.
Most refugees are women and children, as Ukrainian men aged between 18 and 60 have been instructed to remain in the country and fight. The infographic below highlights the flow of refugees recorded from Ukraine across Europe between June 1, 2022 and July 7, 2023, as well as some of the painful stories of those forced to leave their homes. Among those who fled in the early days of the war was a young boy called Mark Goncharuk. Battling back his tears, he said, “We left dad in Kyiv. And dad will be selling things and helping our heroes, helping our army. He might even fight.”
The countries with the largest refugee populations are Russia, with 1,275,315; Germany, with 1,076,680; Poland, with 999,690; the Czech Republic, with 350,455; and the United Kingdom, with 206,700.
Thousands of civilian deaths, and probably many more
The OHCHR estimates that 9,083 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 15,779 wounded since Russia’s invasion.
But these numbers are believed to be underestimates.
In territory controlled by the Ukrainian government, the OHCHR has recorded at least 20,073 casualties (7,072 killed and 13,001 wounded):
In the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk regions: 9,966 casualties (4,105 killed and 5,861 wounded)
In other regions: 10,107 casualties (2,967 killed and 7,140 wounded)
In territory occupied by Russia, the OHCHR has recorded at least 4,789 casualties (2,011 killed and 2,778 wounded):
In the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk regions: 3,239 casualties (718 killed and 2,521 wounded)
In other regions: 1,550 casualties (1,293 killed and 257 wounded)
Source: aljazeera.com
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
