Russia-Ukraine crisis: How are UN nations responding to the refugee crisis?

“We have all been watching the military offensive in Ukraine with a sense of disbelief and horror,” said Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees noted that the conflict could see up to 4 million refugees in the coming weeks unless the conflict is stopped immediately, as per a press release issued on the UN website.

Speaking at the session, India said that immediate steps have been taken to safely evacuate Indians stranded in Ukraine. “We stand ready to help those from our neighbours and developing countries who are also stranded in Ukraine and may seek assistance,” said India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti.

Here are the key updates from the session:

🔴 Ukraine’s delegate accused Russia of attacking civilian structures like kindergartens, hospitals and orphanages, mobile aid brigades and ambulance crews, which Moscow has contested. “There is no debate — these are war crimes,” he said. He added that “Russian words often do not match their deeds”. “Do not listen to Russian lies — listen to Ukrainian cries,” said Sergiy Kyslytsya. Kyslytsya also pushed back against allegations of racial discrimination of refugees and welcomed International Criminal Court Prosecutor’s decision to investigate possible war crimes.

🔴 Russian Federation’s Vasily A Nebenzya reiterated that “the special military operation conducted by the Russian military does not have the goal of occupying Ukraine or harming the local population.” Over five days, there has not been a single documented case of targeted destruction and no evidence of the death of civilians caused by the Russian military, he claimed.  Nebenzya blamed the Western media for perpetuating lies and said that Russia is trying to end the war that Ukraine started in 2014.

🔴 India said that it was deeply concerned over the deteriorating situation in Ukraine and reiterated its call for an immediate cessation of violence and end to hostilities, saying all differences can only be bridged through honest, sincere and sustained dialogue. “India is doing whatever it can to undertake immediate and urgent evacuation efforts of Indian nationals who are still stranded in Ukraine,” added India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti.

🔴 China’s Zhang Jun warned against the politicisation of humanitarian aid. Calling on all parties to show restraint, China underscored the need for direct dialogue between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. China has been one of the few nations that stood in Russia’s corner following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

🔴 The French representative accused Russia of violating the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and “riding roughshod” over the Geneva Conventions. France and its partners in the European Union stand firmly beside Ukraine and its population, said Nicolas de Rivière. He noted the immense humanitarian toll that the crisis has unleashed and said that priority should be given to the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers.

🔴 Britain’s delegate Barbara Woodward condemned Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. Describing the human toll of the invasion, she detailed reports of “people hiding underground in Kyiv to escape violence, while missiles rain down on Kharkiv and cluster munitions destroy residential areas”. The Russian Federation’s representative may dismiss the United Nations reporting on this as hysteria, she said, but over half a million people have already fled Ukraine’s borders, and millions more are being displaced.

🔴 The United States said that Russia has “unleashed great suffering” in Ukraine, pushed for documentation of all violations of international law. “No matter what happens next, we must do everything — everything — we can do to help the people of Ukraine,” said Richard M. Mills Jr. adding that the US is providing around $54 million as aid to Ukraine.