Displaced but Not Defeated: Ukraine’s Internal Migration Crisis

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has not only redrawn military frontlines — it has fractured homes, towns and lives across the country. With tens of thousands killed and millions displaced, Ukraine is experiencing one of the largest internal migration crises in Europe since World War II. Yet amidst the upheaval, stories of resilience, adaptation and solidarity are redefining what it means to be a nation under siege.

Behind the headlines of drones and frontlines lies a quieter humanitarian emergency: the slow, difficult reality of internal displacement. Over 3.5 million Ukrainians remain displaced within the country, many of them having fled multiple times, often without the means or opportunity to return. They are students turned aid workers, pensioners turned evacuees, children turned survivors — and their future is Ukraine’s future.

A Crisis Without a Border

Unlike refugees who cross international boundaries, internally displaced persons (IDPs) remain within their own country — often in precarious legal, economic, and social conditions. For Ukraine this crisis did not begin in 2022. The first major wave of internal displacement followed Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of war in Donbas in 2014. That wave created nearly 1.5 million IDPs, most of whom resettled in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro and other central and western cities.

However the 2022 full-scale invasion unleashed a displacement tsunami of far greater scale and complexity. Cities like Mariupol, Sievierodonetsk, and Bakhmut were emptied by violence. The occupation of Kherson and the siege of Kyiv’s outskirts sent waves of people fleeing westward. By mid-2022 over 8 million Ukrainians had been displaced, with more than half crossing borders as refugees, and the rest seeking safety elsewhere within Ukraine.

Today, with some towns liberated, others destroyed, and still more under threat, millions remain in limbo — housed in dormitories, repurposed schools and relatives’ homes. Many have no homes to return to. Others fear renewed shelling or occupation. The result is a national tapestry of human movement without precedent — one that is reshaping Ukraine socially, economically and politically.

Westward Shift, Uneven Burden

Cities in western Ukraine — Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Uzhhorod — have absorbed the lion’s share of IDPs. Lviv alone has hosted over 250,000 displaced people at various stages, straining housing, healthcare, education and public services. Local governments, NGOs and ordinary citizens have responded with remarkable solidarity, opening homes, schools and hearts. But the strain is real — and structural.

Rural areas and small towns, once depopulated, have seen sudden surges. Meanwhile, central and eastern cities like Dnipro and Poltava became key hubs for transit, treatment and triage — both humanitarian and military. This population reshuffling has destabilised labour markets, flooded school systems and deepened existing inequalities, especially for single mothers, elderly pensioners, Roma communities and the disabled.

The longer the displacement lasts, the more its consequences become permanent — not only for individuals, but for Ukraine’s demographic and economic future.

IDPs and the Question of Return

A critical unknown remains: how many displaced Ukrainians will — or can — return home at the end of the war.

• Some towns, like Irpin and Bucha, have seen high return rates after liberation and reconstruction.

• Others, like Mariupol, remain under occupation or total ruin.

• Many IDPs express longing to return, but fear landmines, housing shortages, joblessness or re-traumatisation.

• For some children, their earliest memories are of flight and shelter basements — not the hometowns their parents remember.

In interviews conducted by Ukrainian NGOs, many IDPs say they will not return until security is guaranteed — not just from shelling, but from systemic neglect. They want homes, schools and roads rebuilt — and more than that, they want a sense that their return is part of a national plan, not just a personal wish.

For Ukraine, return is not just about rebuilding buildings — it is about rebuilding belonging.

Legal Rights, Social Gaps

Ukraine has made significant progress in recognising the rights of IDPs. Legal frameworks allow displaced citizens to vote, receive pensions, and access healthcare and education. However, implementation remains uneven.

• Registration systems are cumbersome and frequently disrupted by mobility or bureaucratic overload.

• Many IDPs report problems obtaining housing subsidies, accessing medical care or transferring university credentials.

• Others fall through the cracks altogether — especially Roma, LGBTQ+, and stateless persons, who often lack formal documentation.

The war has overwhelmed local authorities unequipped to manage such fluid population movements. While NGOs have stepped in, coordination and funding remain a challenge. Ukraine’s social infrastructure — already weakened by decades of underinvestment — is now asked to perform miracles.

Displacement and Identity

Paradoxically, displacement has also deepened national cohesion. Surveys suggest that IDPs — especially those from occupied or front-line territories — have among the strongest pro-Ukrainian civic attitudes. Many have become volunteers, soldiers or organisers in their new communities. They have brought regional dialects, cuisine, and stories across provincial lines, knitting the country closer in new and unexpected ways.

A mother from Mariupol living in Lutsk. A teacher from Bakhmut now organising art therapy for children in Lviv. A teenager from Kherson volunteering in Kyiv’s shelters. These stories are now the story of Ukraine — fluid, resilient and unfinished.

Displacement has not destroyed Ukrainian identity. It has dispersed it — and in doing so, spread its strength.

A Crisis That Will Shape Recovery

Internal displacement in Ukraine is not a temporary emergency. It is a long-term structural challenge that will shape the country’s post-war recovery, social contract and political geography. Policies of reconstruction must place human return — not just economic redevelopment — at their centre.

Ukraine’s victory will not be complete until her people are not just liberated, but restored — in place, in dignity and in voice.

They are displaced — but not defeated.