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Invaded by Russia 20 days ago, Ukraine was going through the fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic when it went to war. The fight against Covid-19, which was already moving slowly with one of the lowest vaccine coverage in Europe, gave way to a new humanitarian drama, with a population on the run and hospitals destroyed.
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35% of the 44 million inhabitants were vaccinated with two doses by the beginning of the war;
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the country accumulated 5 million cases and 112,459 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, USA; the data stopped updating with the start of the conflict
The country that has received the most refugees from Ukraine so far, Poland has vaccinated 59% of its population with two doses, as reported by reporter Mayara Paixão.
History of those who run away: A child leaves Ukraine and becomes a refugee every second, says UNICEF.
In 20 days, around 1.4 million children were forced to flee the country — in all, more than 3 million people left Ukraine after the invasion, according to the UN.
And who stays: Reporter André Liohn, a special envoy to Ukraine, followed the rescue and despair of residents of a building hit in a bombing in Kiev on Monday. Children were crying and an elderly woman begged to find her relatives.
Do not get lost
The correspondent told what it’s like to live with bombings and move around the country at war in this episode of the Café da Manhã podcast.
In addition to the pandemic, the Ukraine war runs parallel to other crises and conflicts around the world. Reporter Guilherme Botacini explains the situation in five countries (see others in the full report):
Afghanistan
Seven months after the Taliban took power and the withdrawal of US troops, the country is experiencing an economic and social crisis, with more than half of the population dependent on aid for basic needs such as housing and food.
Haiti
The poorest nation in Latin America has been going through a spiral of crises since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July last year. The population lives in the hands of gangs, and 43% depend on assistance
Yemen
The world’s most serious humanitarian crisis, according to the UN, is caused by a war that began seven years ago involving a power struggle between a group backed by Iran and Iraq and a coalition led by Saudi Arabia. About 70% of the 30 million inhabitants need basic help
Palestine
The region returned to the news during the 11 days of attacks between Israel and Hamas in 2021. Today there is a “fragile calm”, in the words of the UN coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Tor Wennesland.
Syria
After 11 years of fighting, the country remains divided between areas occupied by the government of Bashar Al-Assad (backed by Putin) and the Syrian Democratic Forces. The year 2021 had the lowest number of deaths since the beginning of the war: 3,882 people
What to see and hear to understand the crisis
