In Kyiv, people gather in solemn silence in front of the monument dedicated to the fallen soldiers of Ukraine. According to a statement from the United Nations, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022 has caused a significant exodus of the population and a dramatic decline in birth rates, resulting in an estimated population decrease of 8 million to date. Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ukraine’s population has reportedly shrunk by 10 million.

Florence Bauer, the director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, shared insights with the media, stating, “Overall, since 2014, the estimated population of Ukraine has decreased by 10 million. Since the full-scale invasion by Russia in 2022, the population is estimated to have fallen by an additional 8 million.”

The UNFPA highlighted that, according to data from Ukraine’s National Statistical Office, the country’s population was around 45 million in 2014. That same year, Russia launched its initial invasion, quickly occupying and annexing the Crimean Peninsula.

Furthermore, UNFPA indicated that combining their own data with official government statistics, Ukraine’s population had already declined to 43 million before the full-scale invasion in February 2022, and has since plunged further to just 35 million.

In the meantime, Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces launched drone and artillery attacks today, leading to the deaths of five individuals in the northeastern Sumy Oblast and eastern Donetsk Oblast, including one child.

On another front, a pro-Russian official claimed that a Ukrainian drone strike today targeted the city of Energodar in the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region, resulting in one death. This city is home to the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.