On February 24, 2022, the Russian military invaded Ukraine, causing “the most rapid forced population movement within Europe since World War 2.” Researchers addressed the humanitarian and environmental impacts of the war in a new study in The Lancet.
As of Aug. 10, 2022, 12,867 civilian casualties were reported in Ukraine, including 5,401 deaths.
According to the UN, 972 of those deaths were children.
Over 6 million people became registered refugees in Europe alone.
Some 6 million people have been internally displaced, and this number could be closer to 8 million.
War has devastated Ukraine's infrastructure, causing disruption to vital services such as waste management and agriculture. It has caused environmental contamination that includes toxic chemical releases from damaged industrial facilities.
Ukraine’s fifteen reactors at four operational nuclear power plants raises grave concerns, as do radioactive sources at other sites.