Mass migration from Ukraine: 400,000 have moved elsewhere in 2024
Source: National Bank of Ukraine
Some 400,000 people have left Ukraine in 9 months of 2024, according to the National Bank of Ukraine. This brings the total number of Ukrainian migrants worldwide to 6.7 million, according to the earlier revealed findings from the United Nations. In its report issued on Friday, the National Bank of Ukraine shed some light on the life of Ukranian refugees.
Key Destinations for Ukrainian Migrants
Most Ukrainian migrants are heading to countries like Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Germany now hosts 1.1 million Ukrainians, followed by Poland with 976,000, and the Czech Republic with 361,000. While these countries have been a refuge for many, changes in local policies are making it harder for migrants to stay.
Tougher Conditions for Migrants
Several countries that have welcomed Ukrainian refugees are tightening their migration policies:
- Poland: As of July 2024, Poland has withdrawn the one-time assistance of 300 zlotys and the monthly 40 zlotys for private housing. Additionally, there is a push to transition people from temporary protection status to temporary residency.
- Czech Republic: Migrants can now stay in state-provided humanitarian housing for only 150 days, after which standard rental conditions apply.
- Germany: With the lowest employment rate among Ukrainians due to generous educational stipends, the German government is considering revising these benefits and increasing scrutiny on those refusing to work.
In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.
During the GLOBSEC Defence Forum 2026 in Prague, representatives of “Steel Front”, an initiative by Rinat Akhmetov, discussed with NATO delegations, military officials, and representatives of the European defense industry the lessons learned from Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
After the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine witnessed an unprecedented wave of private support for the army. Citizens, big businesses, charitable foundations, and international philanthropists began financing the country’s defense alongside state assistance provided by international partners. Estimates of total private contributions range from tens to hundreds of billions of hryvnias. However, determining the exact amount remains difficult. In many cases, companies combine military aid, humanitarian programs, tax payments, social spending, and employee support in their reporting.
Rinat Akhmetov’s military initiative, “Steel Front”, has delivered a batch of drones worth UAH 214 million to the 1st “Azov” Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. This shipment is part of the Metinvest Group’s ongoing support for the unit in 2025.
On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.