However war ends, Ukraine's diminished population will hit economy for years

Ksenia Karpenko, a 33-year-old Ukrainian fashion designer from Kyiv, shows her creation which represents Ukraine's national culture, in Madrid, Spain, June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Juan Medina

KYIV (Reuters) - With war dragging on, some of Ukraine's millions of refugees are beginning to think about settling for good in the countries they find themselves in across Europe, posing a challenge to rebuilding the economy when the guns finally fall silent.

Natalka Korzh, 52, a TV director and mother-of-two, left behind a newly-built dream house when she escaped the rockets falling on Kyiv in the early days of the war. She is only just finding her feet in Portugal, and doesn't plan on packing up her life again even when fighting stops in Ukraine.