In the wake of Russia’s invasion more than 360,000 individuals have fled Ukraine into neighboring countries such as Poland. The UN refugee agency reports that in the last 15 hours, 45,000 refugees have entered Poland, many of them women and children, as men aged 18 through 60 are required to remain in Ukraine to fight after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed martial law. As thousands of Ukrainians flee, visa requirements across Europe have been altered as countries mobilize to support and receive Ukrainian refugees. Ireland lifted visa requirements for Ukrainians, while almost 140 countries require no visa for travel. The importance of these requirements will rise as the United Nations reports that the influx of refugees could reach 5 million. The extent of movement into neighboring countries has made the process tedious and lengthy. CNN reports that it could take more than 60 hours to cross the border, and many Ukrainians have begun walking into Poland to escape immobile car lines. 

The ban on men under the age of 60 and above the age of 18 has begun to split apart families and leave them with serious decisions of choosing to remain together as a family in Ukraine, or split up. In conversation with AP, one woman reports how women were allowed to board the train, “but the men were ordered to step to the side,” citing a duty to defend the country. Media outlets have depicted tearful goodbyes between family members and tough decisions as men are turned away at border points. 

Beginning February 24th, Ukraine closed its airspace for civilian flights, and air travel across the Ukraine and Russian zone has been restricted by all surrounding countries as well. Members of the European Union have not only taken steps to limit civilian activity in the area, but also strengthen defensive capabilities. The EU plans to fund a “weapons purchase to assist Ukraine and ban some pro-Kremlin media outlets” according to European Commission officials on Sunday, said USA Today. Such financial support would be one of the first times the EU has financed military equipment for a country under attack. Casualties continue to rise in Ukraine as explosions hit the capitol city. President Zelenskyy’s office reported that airstrikes have hit the Zhuliany airport and an oil depot 25 miles from Kyiv, via AP. Civilian casualties have reached at least 240 according to the United Nations, believing that the toll is in fact “considerably higher.” As commercial movement from shipping companies such as UPS and FedEx come to a halt and casualties climb, the role of neighboring countries and international condemnation and support will be apparent. Millions of Ukrainian citizens’ livelihoods are at stake as they pour across borders, and steps will need to be taken to support these migrants economically and socially as the Russian invasion worsens.