London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 16, 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
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
×