For 16 months, Ukraine has been fighting Russia’s war of aggression, which is in violation of international law. This does not leave the country untouched. Now a study shows how many people in Ukraine have already lost someone to the Russian invasion.
These are loved ones of family and friends.
The figures come from the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS). From May 26 to June 5, 2023, it conducted an opinion poll across Ukraine. The results are shocking.
More than half lose an average of three loved ones
According to this report, 78 percent of Ukrainians surveyed say they have relatives or friends who were injured or died as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Within this group, respondents have an average of seven close relatives or friends who have been injured or killed.
At the same time, 64 percent have at least one close family member or friend who has been injured. And 63 percent have at least one close relative or friend who has died as a result of the war. In other words, these people have lost an average of three loved ones.
“This is an incredible individual and collective psychological trauma and a collective experience of grief that the whole country is going through,” writes Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior. According to him, these figures show “how much pain Russia has inflicted on Ukraine”. He adds a photo of an affected family to the message.
78% of Ukrainians have relatives or friends who were injured or died as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
64% of Ukrainians have at least one close relative or friend who has been injured.
63% of Ukrainians have at least one close relative or friend who died in the entire… pic.twitter.com/uUthOVw1Ij
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 30, 2023
According to the study, all people in the country are affected. In other words, in all regions of Ukraine, the vast majority of the population has close relatives or friends who were injured or killed by the Russian invasion. “The number ranges from 70 percent in the east to 80 percent in the west,” it says.
In Chernivtsi in western Ukraine, the victims are commemorated in a very special way every day.
Video touched from Western Ukraine
Every morning in Chernivtsi, Ukrainians take a minute to remember those killed by Russia. “It’s only a minute, but it symbolizes our hours, days and years filled with the pain of loss and grief,” Ukraine’s official account “ukraine.ua” writes on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
People, cyclists and motorists stop in place and remember their relatives or friends who risked or lost their lives for the freedom of Ukraine.
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
