If Russia's war against Ukraine drags on, 9 out of 10 Ukrainians will fall below the poverty line. This is reported by the press service of the UN.

Preliminary estimates suggest that a prolonged war could cause 9 out of 10 Ukrainians to fall below the poverty line, and the country will fall behind in development for almost two decades. Deep social and economic "scars" will be left for generations to come.

"In Ukraine, buildings, roads, bridges, hospitals, and schools have been destroyed. The war has caused half of the country's businesses to shut down completely and the other half to suffer hardships," the report says. 

Depending on the duration of the war, the number of poor people in Ukraine could nearly quadruple to 70 percent in 2022, up from the prewar 18 percent.