London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 15, 2025

Europe must brace for 100,000s of Ukrainian refugees this winter: Egeland

Europe must brace for 100,000s of Ukrainian refugees this winter: Egeland

“It is really a choice between freeze or fleeing,” Jan Egeland, NRC Secretary General, said. “Therefore very many people are voluntarily fleeing.”

“Europe has to prepare for hundreds of thousands of new refugees this winter from Norway in the north to the southern European countries.”

Nearly 7.9 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russian tanks rolled across the border in February.

The vast majority have escaped to neighboring countries, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova, But significant numbers of refugees have been welcomed elsewhere in Europe.

Egeland described how a “terrible situation” faced civilians holding out in Ukraine, which has been “exacerbated” by devastating Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure, knocking out power and water supplies.

“We’re in a race against the clock,” he said. “Very many of these frontline communities have received little or no assistance in recent months.

“I’ve been traveling all through the south and the east of Ukraine ... and every city you go to is dark and people are freezing.”

Humanitarian organizations, such as the NRC, Red Cross and UNHCR, have scrambled to provide aid to civilians caught up in the fighting.

They have given out cash, clothing, food and other essential supplies, alongside shelter kits for those whose homes have been destroyed.

However, Egeland said, “millions of people have received little to no assistance”.

One reason for this, he explained to Euronews, was that humanitarian organizations could not get “beyond the frontlines and into Russian-controlled areas”, though Ukrainian advances on the ground were changing the picture.

Recently visiting the frontlines near Zaporizhzhia, Egeland recounted how he had met people, some as old as 91, who had tried to remain in “partially destroyed” homes over the past few months, but yielded to bitterly cold temperatures and left.

The latest figures for October put the number of internally displaced Ukrainians at 6.54 million, with the war now the worst humanitarian crisis in recent European history.

For Egeland, one thing that “stood out” in Ukraine compared to other wars was the number of elderly and disabled people in conflict areas.

“Many who have not fled yet from the war zones in the east and in the south are elderly people who cannot or will not leave the land of their ancestors, the graves of their parents,” he told Euronews. “They are cold and exhausted.”

He continued: “What they are hoping for ... is a restoration of electricity, gas, warmth. But if the Russians continue to bomb the whole civilian infrastructure here, they will not get any heating this winter.”

“Many may freeze to death in their homes. Some are bedridden, [they] cannot go anywhere.”

Amid intense Russian bombardment, Ukrainian authorities evacuated some elderly residents from the southern city of Kherson on Sunday.

Analysts predict that wintry weather — bringing with it frozen terrain and grueling fighting conditions — could magnify the harm caused by these strikes.

Ukraine’s state power grid operator said on Sunday it was supplying around 80% of electricity demand, compared to 75% the previous day.

But Egeland said there was a “glimmer of hope”.

International donors have been “generous” with giving aid to Ukraine and humanitarian organizations were “scaling up” their operations, he said.

According to the Kiel Institute, €93.8 billion from 40 countries in financial, humanitarian, and military aid has been given to Ukraine from January to October 2022.

Still, Egeland was cautious.

“Unless there is a convincing [attempt] of the Russian side to stop the bombing of civilian targets, I think it will be worse before it gets better,” he added.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
×