Opinion | Ukrainian refugees suffer as the world slowly wakes up to growing humanitarian crisis

Name: Ukrainian city of Mariupol descends into despair with over 2,000 people killed since start of war
Uploaded: 2022-03-24T19:30:09.000Z
Duration: 1 min 33 s
Description: Ukrainian city of Mariupol descends into despair with over 2,000 people killed since start of war

Russia’s invasion has displaced millions of Ukrainians who are desperately seeking warmth, food and shelter at home or abroad

The global response remains underfunded while measures by host countries, such as issuing visas or allowances, are only short-term solutions

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Ludmila (left) says goodbye to her granddaughter Kristina and great grandson Yaric as they leave the train station in Odesa, southern Ukraine, on March 22. The UN refugee agency says more than 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia began its invasion. Photo: AP

Syed Munir Khasru

Published: 3:30am, 25 Mar 2022

As Russian forces advance from the north, east and south and try to encircle Kyiv, Ukrainian residents caught in the war are fleeing their homes. As they try to escape, they face a devastating situation, battling hunger, and walking long distances while exposed to sudden shelling by Russian forces.

At least 2,400 civilians have died in the southeastern city of Mariupol, for example. Hundreds of thousands are trapped, with utilities cut off and supplies running out. Some of the 30,000 civilians who managed to flee had to melt snow for drinking water and have eaten only food scraps.

Ukraine has declared martial law, prohibiting men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. As a result, they have been separated from their families as women and children tried to flee. Ukrainian men and women from across Europe have even returned, to join the defence forces.

The refugees, almost all women and children, face difficulties they could never have imagined. While some have been taken in by European families and some children have found safety with relatives, most are living in temporary shelters in the extreme cold and are short of food.

Ukrainian women and children seeking to cross into Poland face long delays. And millions of Ukrainians have been internally displaced, with the western city of Lviv reaching its capacity to accommodate extra people.

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Ukrainian city of Mariupol descends into despair with over 2,000 people killed since start of war

Europe is doing its best to accommodate those fleeing the war. Poland has taken in the most refugees, more than 2 million, followed by Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia and others. Moldova, among others, has called for international assistance.