Internally Displaced in Ukraine: Between Hell and a Future That Does Not Exist

A man passes the time beside a military recruitment poster. The war in Ukraine has displaced 3.6 million people within the country, according to UNHCR. Credit: Karlos Zurutuza/IPSby Karlos Zurutuza (uzhgorod, ukraine)Friday, August 28, 2026Inter Press Service UZHGOROD, Ukraine, August 28 (IPS) - It is impossible to ignore. Loudspeakers across the city broadcast a recorded voice announcing a minute’s silence for those who have fallen in the war. After 60 ticks of the second hand, it is time for the national anthem: “Ukraine has not yet perished.” This happens every day at 9 am, in every Ukrainian city and town.On 24 February 2022, Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of the country. Since then, the war in the east and south has become a war of attrition fought from the trenches, with Russia occupying 20% of the territory and Ukraine resisting with Western support. Moscow is demanding territory, while Kyiv is calling for a full withdrawal.The conflict is frozen, with no active peace negotiations in 2026, but the bombing continues unabated. According to UNHCR data, the humanitarian catastrophe has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, more than six million refugees and 3.6 million...