The Ukrainian migration crisis of 2022-2023: dynamics, scale and consequences

Abstract

The article examines the migration crisis of 2022-2023 caused by the sharp escalation of the military conflict in Ukraine at the end of February 2022. There are two stages in the development of the Ukrainian migration crisis. At the first of them, which included the end of February - beginning of April 2022, fighting was conducted both on the territory of eastern and southern, as well as northern and northeastern Ukraine, which posed a threat to the security of the population of a number of large cities and urban agglomerations, including Kiev. Therefore, the emigration of the population outside Ukraine, as well as its movement within the country at the first stage of the migration crisis reached its peak. The main recipient of Ukrainian refugees at this stage were the EU countries, which was due to the geography of hostilities and difficulties with leaving for Russian territory. At the second stage, which began in April 2022, the fighting moved to the territory of the southeastern regions of Ukraine, which led to a partial return of the population to their former places of residence in the north of the country, including Kiev, and a shift in the main direction of emigration towards Russia. The materials of the periodical press, migration and demographic statistics, as well as documents of the UNHCR for Refugees were used as sources.