Since Russia started the war in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, almost 1.4 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Moldova. More than 116,000 Ukrainians are now on the territory of the country, and more than 2,000 Ukrainians became Moldovan citizens. The data are presented by the General Inspectorate for Migration (IGM).

IGM data for 2023 shows an 11% increase in the number of applications for admission by migration officers. These are applications for temporary or permanent residence permits, for family reunification, or repatriation.

“Two years after the start of the war in the neighboring country, the Republic of Moldova continues to offer all its support to Ukrainian citizens and other groups of migrants driven out by the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine”, the IGM said in a press release.

Mediafax.ro reported that the war in Ukraine caused the biggest humanitarian crisis in Europe in the last 80 years. Millions of Ukrainians left the country, taking refuge in neighboring and western countries. The UN has established that in the first days after the outbreak of the war, more than a million people, especially women, children and the elderly, left Ukraine through the neighboring countries: Moldova, Poland and Romania.

Later, their number increased greatly, reaching over eight million people in the second year of the war. Most refugees remained in Poland, but numerous individuals and families are in Germany, the UK, Spain, Romania, the Netherlands, Italy, the Czech Republic and Hungary. Refugees have also reached other continents, in countries such as the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia.

More than 10 million Ukrainians became internally displaced. Most of them ended up in western Ukraine, furthest from the front lines.

The total number of victims caused by the war is difficult to estimate. Experts estimate that there are tens of thousands of dead in the Ukrainian camp, both civilians and military.