(Geneva) More than 3.3 million refugees have now fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion, the United Nations said on Saturday, while nearly 6.5 million people are believed to be internally displaced.
Posted at 9:27
Updated at 10:55 a.m.
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said 3,328,692 Ukrainians have left the country since the war began on February 24. In addition 58,030 others have joined the paths of exodus since its previous report on Friday.
“People continue to flee because they are afraid of bombs, airstrikes and indiscriminate destruction,” said UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi. “Help is vital but cannot end the fear. Only stopping the war can do that,” he commented.
Around 90% of those who fled are women and children. Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 can indeed be called up and must remain in their country.
The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) also reported that as of last Wednesday, 162,000 third-country nationals had fled Ukraine.
In addition to those who have left the country, some 6.48 million people were considered internally displaced in Ukraine as of Wednesday, according to the United Nations and related agencies, based on an IOM survey.
PHOTO BY ARMEND NIMANI, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
A volunteer prepares a hot meal for refugees arriving at the Siret border crossing in Romania on March 19.
The UNHCR had initially estimated that a maximum of four million people could leave Ukraine, but the organization admitted last week that this figure could well be revised upwards.
Prior to the conflict, Ukraine had a population of 37 million in government-controlled areas, excluding Russia- annexed Crimea and pro-Russian breakaway areas to the east.
The current distribution of destinations of Ukrainian refugees
Poland
Six out of ten Ukrainian refugees have crossed the Polish border, or 2,010,693 people so far.
PHOTO WOJTEK RADWANSKI, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
A girl wrapped in an emergency thermal blanket waits for a coach at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, on March 18.
Tens of thousands of people are also entering Ukraine from Poland, mostly people returning from combat, but also others seeking to care for elderly relatives or bring family back to Poland.
Data on arrivals in Ukraine’s neighboring countries that are part of the European Schengen area — Poland, Hungary and Slovakia — only represent border crossings into that country.
“We estimate that a large number of people have continued on their way to other countries,” UNHCR said.
Romania
UNHCR said more than half a million Ukrainians have now reached Romania.
Some 518,269 people specifically have arrived in the country, figures including those who crossed into neighboring Moldova.
Moldova
UNHCR said 359,056 Ukrainians had crossed the border into this non-EU state, located between Romania and Ukraine.
It is the closest border to the major port city of Odessa.
Many Ukrainians simply pass through Moldova, without stopping in this small country of 2.6 million inhabitants and one of the poorest in Europe.
Hungary
Ukrainian refugees who crossed into Hungary number 299,273.
Hungary has five border crossings with Ukraine and several border towns, including Zahony, where local authorities have turned public buildings into emergency centers for refugees.
Slovakia
A total of 240,009 Ukrainians crossed the border from Slovakia.
Russia
Some 184,563 refugees have sought refuge in Russia.
The UNHCR further estimates that 50,000 people crossed the Russian border from the pro-Russian regions of Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine between February 21 and 23.
Belarus
Finally 2548 refugees managed to go to Belarus, details the UNHCR.