Refugee Crises in 2026: Ukraine and Rohingya

The Russia-Ukraine war remains a severe, ongoing armed conflict with very high civilian harm in 2026. UN monitors verified that at least 1,396 civilians were killed and 7,978 injured in Ukraine in the first six months of 2026, and 2,222 civilians were killed and 13,058 injured in the first eight months of 2026, exceeding the total civilian casualties recorded in all of 2025. In August 2026 alone, at least 372 civilians were killed and 2,349 injured, while July 2026 saw 437 killed and 2,610 injured, reflecting a sharp summer escalation in harm to civilians. Humanitarian needs remain extensive. UNHCR reported that 10.8 million people in Ukraine will require humanitarian assistance in 2026, including about 3.7 million internally displaced people, with most displaced for more than two years. The humanitarian response continues to prioritize frontline communities, internally displaced persons, and people affected by shelling, with major needs in water and sanitation, food, shelter, heating, cash assistance, and healthcare; EU humanitarian planners also noted intensified attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure in February 2026 and mobilized additional funding in response.

Myanmar’s post-coup conflict remains a severe, multi-front civil war, with the junta still under pressure from the People’s Defence Force, the National Unity Government, and multiple ethnic armed organizations. Recent reporting cited by the Council on Foreign Relations says the military government controls about 21% of territory while rebel forces and ethnic armies hold about 42%, and the United Nations and Human Rights Watch report more than 3 million people displaced, with the 2026 Human Rights Watch estimate at least 3.6 million internally displaced. The humanitarian situation remains extremely acute. Human Rights Watch says more than 15 million people face acute food insecurity, and AP reported in early 2025 that nearly 20 million people needed humanitarian aid and about 3.5 million were internally displaced; Amnesty reported in January 2025 that the junta had killed more than 6,000 people and that more than 20,000 had been arbitrarily detained since the coup. The Rohingya crisis remains unresolved, with Amnesty noting 2024 was the worst year of violence against the Rohingya since 2017 and the conflict in Rakhine continuing to block safe repatriation. The conflict is concentrated in Rakhine, Shan, Kachin, Sagaing, Magway, Mandalay, Karen, and Chin, with continued fighting and airstrikes against civilian infrastructure. UNHCR reported in May 2026 that around 299,000 people had fled Myanmar to neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, India, and Thailand, while Rohingya refugees remain largely in Bangladesh with no safe return in sight.