Why Ukraine's Refugees Are a National Security Issue

Why Ukraine’s Refugees Are a National Security Issue

BERLIN, GERMANY – MARCH 01: Volunteers wait for refugees from the Ukraine arriving at the main train station on March 1, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. Governments around the world are still struggling to evacuate their citizens caught between Russia’s armed invasion and the mounting humanitarian crisis as Ukrainians flee to neighbouring countries. Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine started on February 24, 2022, and although the capital was quieter overnight, Russian forces continued to mass outside the city. Ukrainian forces waged battle to hold other major cities. (Photo by Hannibal Hanschke/Getty Images)

Posted: April 4th, 2024

By Brian Bonner

Brian Bonner led the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's English-language newspaper, from 2008-2021, but spent most of his career as a journalist covering international, national and local news for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in Minnesota from 1983-2007. Now, besides working for The Cipher Brief, he hosts a weekly English-language podcast on Hromadske (Public) Radio in Kyiv.

SUBSCRIBER+ EXCLUSIVE REPORTING — Ukraine’s fate isn’t only being decided on the battlefield or on Capitol Hill; it also rests in the hands of nearly five million people who have fled the country.

While there are many children and elderly citizens among the 4.9 million Ukrainians who remain abroad, there are also medical, tech and other skilled workers, along with hundreds of thousands of potential soldiers.

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