Migration is not a vacation or a lucky ticket for a chance to build a new life. Migration is a forced exile.
What is migration?
Migration is the movement of people or birds from one area to another. It is a forced and sudden movement into an unfamiliar space.
Right now, there are millions of stories like this. Some people urgently left their homes and cities to wait out the war, preserve their strength and save themselves and their loved ones from a calamity that took them by surprise. From circumstances that are beyond their control.
Right now, there are millions of stories like this. Some people urgently left their homes and cities to wait out the war, preserve their strength and save themselves and their loved ones from a calamity that took them by surprise. From circumstances that are beyond their control.
Why do birds migrate?
The reasons for the migrations described in this project are Russia's aggression and the military invasion of Ukraine.
These are the stories of people who have temporarily lost their cities and the opportunity to return home.
These are the stories of people who have temporarily lost their cities and the opportunity to return home.
First wave
In 2014, Russia infringed upon Ukraine's independence and sovereignty by annexing the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and occupying parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. About 1,500,000 people were forced to leave their homes at that time. Most of them settled in the nearby regions and Kyiv.
Second wave
On February 24, 2022, at five in the morning, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The whole country woke up to explosions. Cruise and ballistic missiles flew to the Ukrainian territory. People woke each other up with the words: "Wake up, it's war!"
The second wave of migration began. This time the main direction was to the West, away from the Russian border.
According to the International Organization for Migration, the number of internally displaced people in Ukraine exceeded 8,000,000.
The second wave of migration began. This time the main direction was to the West, away from the Russian border.
According to the International Organization for Migration, the number of internally displaced people in Ukraine exceeded 8,000,000.
How do birds know where to fly?
Some people chose a direction to relocate based on an invitation from friends or acquaintances who were in safer cities and willing to accommodate them.
Some would plunge into the unknown, deciding that a plan of action would emerge along the way or in the first city, where fighters would not fly and shells would not explode.
Some would plunge into the unknown, deciding that a plan of action would emerge along the way or in the first city, where fighters would not fly and shells would not explode.
