Despite the ongoing intense war in Ukraine, more than 6
million people have returned back to their home, according to the latest
figures by the International Organization for Migration (IMO). Since IMO
records began on April 17, there has been a sound increase of people making the
journey, whether from abroad or from other parts of the country. According to
the figures provided by latest surveys, around 16 percent of returnees were
people aged 60 and older, 57 percent of them were females and 25 percent were
infants or children under 17 years.
Ukrainian officials have requested their citizens not to return home this winter season as Russian drone strikes and missiles have damaged almost 40 percent of Ukraine’s power stations. Majority of the cities are facing complete blackouts. The temperature has also started to drop and reach to sub-zero levels. With shortage of basic resources, it is nearly impossible to provide heating system which has become a major concern for the coming months.
While addressing his people, Iryna Vereshchuk, a deputy prime minister, said in a broadcast interview on Ukrainian national television on Tuesday,
“I wanted to ask people not to return. We need to survive the winter. But (if people come back) the electrical grid might fail, to return now is to risk yourself and your children, your vulnerable relatives."
