UN notes increase in number of people evacuated from frontline areas in Ukraine
This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by UNHCR Representative in Ukraine, Karolina Lindholm Billing.
“What we see now is that there are both around 3.7 million internally displaced inside Ukraine and around 5.6 million refugees abroad. But we also see in the last year, especially since mid-2024, an increase in the number of people being evacuated or displaced from frontline areas,” she said.
Billing clarified that 190,000 Ukrainians have become displaced persons from the frontline areas of Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Sumy regions since the beginning of 2025. UNHCR also noted that the majority of those evacuated now belong to the most vulnerable groups of the population: the elderly, people with limited mobility or disabilities, and those with limited financial resources, as they had remained the longest in frontline areas.
The UNHCR representative added that the largest numbers of IDPs are currently living in Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, and Kharkiv regions and in the capital.
“The majority prefer to stay as close to home as possible because many are still hoping to be able to return to their homes if the opportunity comes,” Billing explained.
As reported by Ukrinform, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated on August 29 that the enemy was preparing offensive actions and had concentrated significant forces in the Pokrovsk sector – up to 100,000 personnel.
