The UN said over 6.2 million Ukrainians are now displaced within the country due to the ongoing war. They were forced to flee their homes but stayed in Ukraine.
As of June 23, there are 6.285 million internally displaced persons in Ukraine, said the United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM). The agency has conducted six surveys since February. The report said the number of IDPs peaked at an estimated eight million in the fourth survey published on May 23.
65% of the current IDPs are women.
6.275 million is the lowest number of IDPs recorded since the Russian invasion started on February 24. This is in addition to the 5.26 million people who have entered neighbouring nations as refugees.
The recent survey was conducted between June 17 and 23.
The IOM survey found that 44% of the displaced folk are living in rented dwellings and 29% are with family or friends. Surprisingly, 13% of the IDPs said they feel completely safe and another 63% said they feel somewhat safe. Around 15% are also planning to return to their homes in the next two weeks, reported AFP.
3.8 million (61%) of the displaced population are from eastern regions of the country where Moscow is currently focusing. 15% of them are from the northern parts. And 11% of them are from the capital city Kyiv and the south of Ukraine.
The latest survey says that 5.55 million people who initially fled their homes to other regions of Ukraine or to other European countries have returned. The UN report noted that they need health services, education, and rehabilitation of damaged homes. One in four people has stopped using medication because it is either unavailable or too expensive.