Forced Displacement of Ukrainians during the War: Patterns of Internal and External Migration(2014–2022)

Ukraine is faced with the phenomenon of forced migration in the context of Russian aggression. Millions of Ukrainian people have been forced to leave their homes for a variety of war-related reasons, and have relocated both within the country (internal forced migration) and abroad (external forced migration). The first wave of massive displacement happened after the Russian occupation of Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in 2014. This wave was mostly contained within the country, and therefore the people affected can be considered as internally displaced persons (IDP). The second, much bigger, wave was directed both inside and outside, and was caused by the full-scale Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. This chapter offers an overview and analysis of the factors, figures, and types of migration with respect to Ukrainians forced to flee due to the war and the circumstances it has created, in addition to the active kidnapping carried out by the Russian authorities. In the first section, we discuss the peculiarities of internal displacement in Ukraine. In the second section, we describe cross-border flows since 2014, and compare the governance response patterns to migration in neighboring countries. The final part discusses the situation of war-displaced Ukrainian citizens in Russia as a separate case requiring special attention.