More than 14 million people, nearly a third of Ukraine’s population, have been forced to flee their homes in the two years since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday, Kyiv reported. Independent.

Ukrainian refugees at the train station in PraguePhoto: CTK / Alamy / Alamy / Profimedia

Since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, 4.5 million people have returned to Ukraine, IOM reported.

According to IOM, another 3.7 million people are internally displaced in Ukraine, and almost 6.5 million are refugees abroad.

The IOM said it provided support in 11 neighboring countries, “providing critical and life-saving assistance to those who need it most.”

More than 14.6 million people, about 40% of Ukraine’s population, “still require some form of humanitarian assistance in 2024, while 2.2 million refugees require assistance in neighboring countries,” IOM said.

More than half of Ukrainian refugees surveyed said they plan to return to Ukraine in the future, according to a Vox Ukraine study published on January 16.