Zelenskyy: There Are 9.5 Million Ukrainian Citizens Abroad

• 23.10.2026, 21:07

That's more than the population of Belarus.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that 9.5 million Ukrainian citizens are currently abroad due to the full-scale war.

He said this during an online meeting at the Hudson Institute.

“There are currently 9.5 million civilians abroad. This war has forced them to leave Ukraine. 9.5 million. Can you imagine that—if your country’s population is 40 million—can you imagine that 20–25% of them have been abroad since the very beginning of this full-scale invasion?” said the President of Ukraine.

According to him, “we’re talking about millions of people who have lost their lives, their homes, and their jobs.”

That is precisely why, Zelenskyy emphasized, Ukraine is counting on security guarantees from its partners, “which will prevent Russia from returning.”

“In other words, as I’ve already said, we’re talking about bilateral security guarantees between us and the Americans—everyone is working on this. Or, alternatively, about our NATO membership. That’s a different matter; those are different security guarantees, but they must, of course, be reliable. These are the first and second points. All of these points are included in every plan we have already discussed with various allies; this is extremely important—it is a key element of our negotiations,” the head of state added.

It should be noted that, according to Belstat, the population of Belarus as of January 1, 2026, is 9,056,080 people. According to independent analysts, the population of Belarus may actually be as low as about 8 million.