Ukraine has lost 50% of its population in 1 year.

 OFFICIAL UN NUMBERS INDICATE 19.5 MILLION HAVE LEFT THE COUNTRY

THE LONGER THE CONFLICT, THE FEWER WILL RETURN

Ukraine is ruined in more ways than just the loss of territory, infrastructure and economic potential, it is losing its most valuable resource, its people. The United Nations refuge relief agency reports that 19.5 million have crossed the borders to the neighboring countries. This is in itself 45% of the pre-conflict population of 43.8 million. These number are mostly women and children, because all men between 18 and 60 are forbidden to leave the country. So these are official numbers that do not include the men between 18 and 60 who have also left the country unofficially, and that could also add several million.

Official border crossing are as follows:

Poland       10,168,089

Romania      2,091,044

Russia         2, 852,395

Hungary      2, 350,357

Slovakia      1,239,412

Moldavia        787,594

Belarus             16,705

Then there is the population of the 4 Oblasts now incorporated into Russia, which was 9,450,844. Even if only 50% of the residents remain it will be another loss of at least 5 million people. That would raise the loss to 57%.

Of course, if there were to be peaceful settlement, some or maybe many, would in time return, but as time goes on and the best and brightest find opportunities that are better than what they will have in a return to Ukraine, you can expect their numbers will be decimated for decades to come.

The hopes of Ukraine becoming a prosperous and stable country are likely to be dismal for decades. While the spin is that the world is attempting to save Ukraine and what is happening is all in the defense of democracy and the preservation of Europe from Russian imperialism, the truth is that Ukraine is being sacrificed to fulfill the dreams of a U.S. foreign policy that believes it is the only super power and can shape the world into whatever it should desire. 

It is becoming more evident every day that these dreams will end like so many dreams of empire and control that were the downfall of such ambitions in the past.