An estimated 3.9 million people remained internally displaced in Ukraine as of June 2026, according to a new report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). While the number of internally displaced people has stayed at around 12 per cent of the population since 2023, the report shows that the longer displacement persists, the more families are struggling to meet their basic needs.

Nearly seven in ten internally displaced people have now been away from home for more than two years, underscoring the increasingly protracted nature of displacement in Ukraine. New displacement is also still happening: an estimated 132,000 people were forced to leave their homes between January and June this year alone.

“Stable displacement figures should not be mistaken for stable living conditions,” said Dejan Keserovic, Deputy Chief of Mission at IOM Ukraine. “Many displaced families are exhausting their savings, reducing essential expenses, including health care, and moving into less adequate housing as they try to meet their basic needs. Sustained support remains essential to help people regain stability and make informed, voluntary choices about their future.” 

The report found that 87 per cent of displaced households have had to take at least one difficult step to cope. The most common include using up savings (75%), cutting back on utilities (59%) and reducing health spending (53%). One in five households also reported moving to lower-quality housing, while 17 per cent have fallen behind on rent. 

The pressure has been building steadily — last winter’s harsh weather and long power and heating outages hit already-vulnerable families particularly hard.

Safety remains the biggest factor in people’s decisions about the future: 82 per cent of internally displaced people say they only want to return home once the fighting stops. At the same time, more people are considering settling permanently where they now live — interest in local integration increased from 51 per cent in March to 58 per cent in June 2026, highlighting the need to support displaced families wherever they are, while still keeping an eye on the risks of people returning too soon or unsafely.

Around 2.15 million individuals – 56 per cent of all those displaced in Ukraine – originally came from areas that were fully or partly occupied at the time of the survey. This group has faced longer displacement, greater hardship, and fewer options for going home.

The findings show why emergency aid alone isn’t enough. People need longer-term support with housing, jobs, health care, protection, and other essential services — so they can make informed, voluntary choices, whether that means settling where they are, moving elsewhere, or returning home safely once conditions allow.

The report is based on IOM’s latest survey of the Ukrainian population, carried out between 23 April and 30 June 2026, with support from the Government of Canada, the European Union, Sweden, and the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund.

The Executive Director of Refugees in Libya, David Yambio, has mourned the death of a migrant whose body was recovered off the coast of Benghazi after reportedly being stranded at sea for 14 days, describing the incident as a stark reminder of the dangers faced by people fleeing conflict and persecution.

In a post on X, Yambio reflected on his own experience in Libya, saying that while detained in the North African country, he had often hoped that, if he were to die, it would be at sea rather than at the hands of violent militias.

According to him, the sea represented the only place where many migrants retained a sense of dignity, as they risked everything in pursuit of safety and international protection.

Yambio questioned what he described as a deeper humanitarian tragedy, arguing that many people seeking refuge would rather face the dangers of the Mediterranean than remain exposed to violence by armed groups in Libya.

He also criticised what he called Europe’s role in arming militias and accused African leaders of remaining silent in the face of abuses against migrants.

The activist said the photograph accompanying his post showed one of several people seeking protection who had been stranded at sea for two weeks. He noted that the man’s body, along with those of two others, was recovered off the coast of Benghazi a few days ago.

Ending his post on a poignant note, Yambio said the deceased asylum seeker had been portrayed as an “invader,” underscoring what he believes is the dehumanisation of migrants fleeing in search of safety.

At least 50 migrants are feared dead or missing after a boat carrying about 60 people capsized off the eastern coast of Libya while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, authorities have said.

The vessel overturned on Tuesday near Bardaa Island, off the coastal city of Tobruk, according to the Coast Guard in eastern Libya.

Officials said 10 passengers, including some women and children, survived by swimming to Bardaa Island. Search and rescue operations were still ongoing as authorities continued efforts to locate the remaining passengers.

The latest disaster is another in a series of deadly shipwrecks involving migrants departing from Libya, a major transit hub for people seeking to reach Europe in search of safety and better economic opportunities.

Just last month, another migrant boat sank off eastern Libya, leaving 51 people dead or missing.

Since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi, Libya has remained politically unstable, making it a key departure point for migrants fleeing conflict, persecution and poverty across Africa and the Middle East.

Human traffickers frequently load migrants onto overcrowded and unseaworthy boats for the dangerous Mediterranean crossing, a route that has claimed thousands of lives over the years and remains one of the world’s deadliest migration corridors.