Report
On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including air strikes, heavy shelling, and armed combat across the entire country. The exact death toll from two years of full-scale war is unknown, but estimates suggest that at least 10,000 civilians have been killed. Including military casualties, the death toll from ten years of conflict is nearly a quarter of a million people. The war has caused the largest displacement crisis in Europe since World War II. According to UNHCR, there are now 3.7 million internally displaced people (IDPs) living within Ukraine, another 6 million refugees and asylum-seekers across the region, and over 14 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
While the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 drew the world’s attention, Ukrainian civilians have been living with the repercussions of the conflict for a decade. This report aims to shed light on the effects of the 10-year conflict on affected populations, specifically refugees in Europe, IDPs, and individuals within Ukraine impacted by the conflict. To document these impacts, the IRC launched a pan-European survey through its Signpost system - the IRC's community-led information service that empowers people on the move in times of crisis.
We asked 640 Ukrainian clients inside the country and across Europe what they would want the world to know about the war, ten years on. One of the answers reads:
“I hope the world has not become indifferent... and not used to the fact that there is a war in Ukraine. And the most important thing is for the world to know that the war began in 2014.”
The survey, backed by past research from IRC and other organisations, illuminates the reality that normal life remains elusive for millions of Ukrainians, and that the decade-long conflict has had a devastating impact on almost every aspect of day-to-day life.
