East Europeans prepare for possible new Ukrainian refugee wave as winter nears

Eastern European countries are preparing to reopen reception centres and are restocking food supplies in anticipation of a possible fresh surge in Ukrainian refugees as winter looms and Russia targets Ukraine’s power grid and heating plants.
Some 6.9 million people are believed displaced internally within Ukraine, often living in very tough conditions, and the Slovak government’s contingency plan envisages the possible inflow of hundreds of thousands of them in coming months.
Data from the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR shows some 4.5 million Ukrainian refugees currently registered under various protection schemes across Europe, many of them in the EU states bordering Ukraine – Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Romania.
After an initial surge following Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, the number of refugees heading west out of Ukraine dropped in late spring. There has been no big uptick in numbers so far this autumn but charities say there are now signs of increased movement across the borders and are stepping up preparations.