Zelenskyy admits record outflow of population from Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has acknowledged the record outflow of the population from Ukraine during a speech to Ukrainian Foreign Ministry employees.

According to the Ukrainian leader, millions and millions of Ukrainians have left the country, and Ukraine has never had such a large number of citizens abroad before, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

Zelensky announced the creation of a new institution tasked with protecting the common interests of Ukrainians abroad. The new agency will take over some functions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to him, the citizens who have gone abroad are "under the influence of Russian propaganda" and are deprived of cultural ties with their homeland.

"Millions of our people are in other countries. Their connections and relationships with Ukraine, the protection of our interests as a nation—this will all be the responsibility of the new institution," said the president.

Earlier, the United Nations forecasted that Ukraine's population would shrink by more than half within 75 years. According to the organization's report, by 2100, the population will decrease to 15.3 million people. As of the beginning of this year, approximately 37 million people live in the country.