10 Million Ukrainians Have Fled Their Homes in Less Than a Month

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 10 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes in less than a month since Russia began its invasion. This is nearly 1 out of every 4 Ukrainians.

A majority (approximately 6.5 million) have been internally displaced while the remaining 3.5 million have managed to flee the country. The vast majority are women and children including my colleague's sister and nephew. 

To put this number into perspective, it would be comparable to everyone who lives in Paris or to everyone who lives in the state of Georgia being forced to leave their homes and nearly all their worldly possessions. Most Parisians don't remember what life was like under the Vichy Regime and, well, there is one prominent Georgia resident named Marjorie Taylor Greene who believes Ukraine should just surrender. I doubt Congresswoman Greene has given a moment's thought to those 10 million Ukrainians who have fled their homes and, if she has, she probably believes they are Nazis. 

The Ukrainian people are putting up a valiant fight against the Russian military, but at a very steep price which is only bound to get steeper. More Ukrainians will be forced to leave and even if the war were to come to an abrupt end most would have no home to come back to causing an agony which will last for generations. While Ukrainian refugees might be welcome now once the conflict is over and is out of the spotlight memories will invariably grow short and sympathies are likely to become fatigued and fickle. Can you say Syrian refugees? And who had a big hand in creating that state of affairs? Soon there will more Ukrainian refugees than Syrian refugees and aside from a few honorable exceptions the world will not care a whit.