FALSE: The same number of Ukrainians live in Russia as in Ukraine

Russian media are spreading a statement by Putin about the number of Ukrainians in Russia and in temporarily occupied territories: “As many Ukrainians live in Russia as in Ukraine, or perhaps even more,” he claimed.

However, this is false. The number of Ukrainians living in Russia and in temporarily occupied territories is significantly smaller than the population in Ukrainian-controlled territories.

According to Ukraine’s Demographic Development Strategy, the Ministry of Social Policy reported that as of August 2023, 36.3 million people were living in Ukraine, 31.5 million of whom were in territories under Ukrainian government control. Similar figures were cited by Oleksandr Hladun, head of the Department of Demographic Modeling and Forecasting at the Ptukha Institute of Demography and Social Studies. He stated that in 2024, Ukraine’s population within its 1991 borders was over 35 million, with 28-30 million living in government-controlled areas. Hladun noted that obtaining precise data during wartime is impossible, so these numbers are approximate.

Estimates of the number of Ukrainians in temporarily occupied territories partially align with figures shared in June 2024 by the then-Minister for Reintegration of temporarily occupied territories, Iryna Vereshchuk, who stated that 6 million Ukrainians were living under occupation, including 1.5 million children.

Meanwhile, according to Russia’s last census conducted in 2021, 884,000 people in Russia identified as Ukrainians. According to the UN, 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded in Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Russian media, however, have provided higher numbers. For instance, the propaganda outlet TASS claimed that as of February 2023, 5.3 million Ukrainian refugees were in Russia. Representatives of the Russian NGO “Civic Assistance Committee” suggested that this figure might be exaggerated. Even if we consider this questionable data, the total number of Ukrainians in Russia and temporarily occupied territories (up to 12 million) does not equal the population in Ukrainian-controlled territories (approximately 30 million).

It is also crucial to consider that living under occupation is often not a conscious choice for citizens. Many lack the means or opportunity to return to Ukrainian-controlled territories. Leaving occupied territories is challenging and involves filtration processes and searches by the Russian military or law enforcement.

The same applies to Ukrainians forcibly relocated to Russia, who may lack documents, financial resources, or adequate information to travel to Ukrainian-controlled areas. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Russia has abducted at least 19,500 Ukrainian children, and there is no data on the number of deported adults. To recover children forcibly relocated to Russia, Ukraine is negotiating with third-party involvement.

Previously, we debunked the manipulation that claimed most Ukrainian refugees are fleeing to Russia.