KYIV, Feb 23 – Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to the World Bank, led to the fact that 8 million additional Ukrainians are now living in poverty compared to before the war, but the result could have been even worse if the country had not carried out reforms before the war, World Bank Regional Country Director for Eastern Europe Arup Banerji has said.

"A 15-year setback in poverty reduction in Ukraine. At the same time, the remarkable resilience Ukraine and Ukrainians have shown is in large part attributable to the difficult and successful reforms in macroeconomic management and institution-building that the authorities undertook in recent years, prior to the war," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.