Mapping Ukraine: Rapid displacement and a flood of global help

People stand in a long line during the distribution of humanitarian aid near damaged blocks of apartments in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, March 24, 2022. Pavel Klimov/Reuters

March 29, 2022

War in Ukraine has meant massive displacement for the nation’s people. Their need – and Russia’s threat to Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty – has also sparked a massive global response of aid and support.

What’s remarkable is the combination of scale and speed. Ukraine may lag behind Syria as a source of refugees in recent years, yet the crisis in Ukraine has caused about 1 in 4 Ukrainians to leave their homes – and in the space of just a few weeks.

Some $1 billion in private charitable donations for Ukraine doesn’t yet outweigh donations that helped victims of Hurricane Katrina. But philanthropic pledges are growing about as fast as aid did for Louisianians after Katrina. Military and humanitarian assistance from nation states pushes the total much higher still.

Our graphics (below) depict how Russia’s invasion has affected many of Ukraine’s most populous areas. One key question now is how to get the targeted relief to where it’s needed.