The United Nations says more than 10 million Ukrainians have fled the fighting since Russia invaded three and a half years ago. Many are struggling to accept they may never return to their homes.

Kyiv

Russian forces have invaded Ukraine from land, air and sea with strikes causing widespread damage. Global leaders have condemned the move and imposed sanctions.

Ukraine Invasion

Displaced Ukrainians, such as those living in university accommodation in Kyiv, continue to face significant challenges as they adapt to new living conditions after fleeing conflict in eastern Ukraine. Families like Roman's have lost their homes and now reside in crowded shelters with limited privacy and resources. Children struggle with the loss of friends and familiar surroundings, while shelter staff provide activities and therapy to support mental health.

According to the United Nations, approximately 12 million people in Ukraine require urgent humanitarian aid, with over 10 million either internally displaced or having fled the country. Many now recognize that returning to their previous homes may not be possible, underscoring the long-term impact of the conflict on Ukrainian society.

Displaced Ukrainians face uncertainty over returning home

It will never be home, but this university accommodation building in Kyiv provides shelter for more than 360 people who have fled the Russian army's advance in eastern Ukraine. Roman shows us the tiny room where he, his wife, daughter and their four cats now live. The personal belongings they have are stacked against the walls, a tiny cooking area, a bunk bed. There is little privacy here. Before the war, I had work. I always earned money, I was a general handyman, there were no issues, I had my own tools. If someone needed help with something, I'd help them. This is moments after the Russian attack that destroyed the second family home they had tried to shelter in. Come on, let's go, there may be another explosion, says Roman, as he films his wife and the smouldering destruction on his mobile phone. We left our home in Lissachansk at the end of March 2022, one month after the war began. We went to our in-laws near Slovyansk in the Donetsk region. We stayed there until May 2024, when the shelling started in that area, too. We were in the garden, my daughter was outside when the attack happened. We ran to hide in the basement. Sixteen-year-old Miroslava says she misses her friends and life in eastern Ukraine. Life here was hard to get used to, it's a new life, but I don't have friends here. I study online, I don't have my own room, nothing. There are 50 children staying at the shelter, which organizes activities like this one, coloring in designs on shopping bags. They want to go home, they hope that they will return there. We offer therapy to try and improve their mental health, but the comment you constantly hear is, I want to go home. Tetyana asks the women to focus on simple everyday moments, to avoid thinking too much about the past. But even this triggers memories of how life used to be before Russia's invasion three and a half years ago. The United Nations says around 12 million people in Ukraine are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. It says that more than 10 million people are either internally displaced or have fled the country and many now realize they will probably never return to where they once lived. Charles Stratford Al-Jazeera, Kyiv.

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Displaced Ukrainians face uncertainty over returning home

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Ukraine Invasion