(Geneva) The number of Ukrainian refugees who fled their country attacked by Russian troops since February 24 has exceeded 5.2 million, according to figures from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees published on Monday.
Posted at 7:10 a.m.
According to the UNHCR, 5,232,014 Ukrainians have left their country since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 45,270 more than the figure published on Sunday.
Since the beginning of April, just under 1,197,000 Ukrainians have fled, far fewer than the 3.4 million who had chosen to leave in March alone.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), also attached to the United Nations, indicated that more than 218,000 non-Ukrainians, mainly students and migrant workers, had also left Ukraine for neighboring countries, which means that more than 5.25 million people in total have fled the country since the start of the war.
Women and children represent 90% of these refugees, men aged 18 to 60, likely to be mobilized, not having the right to leave.
Almost two-thirds of Ukrainian children have had to flee their homes, including those still in the country.
More than 7.7 million people have left their homes but are still in Ukraine, according to IOM.
Prior to the Russian invasion, Ukraine had a population of 37 million people in areas under its government’s control. This figure excludes Crimea (south), annexed in 2014 by Russia, and the eastern regions controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
Poland
Nearly six out of ten Ukrainian refugees (2,909,415 as of April 24) have fled to Poland, which hosts by far the largest number, although some then go to other European countries.
At the same time, more than 800,000 people crossed the Polish border into Ukraine – Ukrainian men joining the army or residents returning home – according to Polish border guards.
Before the war, about 1.5 million Ukrainians lived in Poland, mostly migrant workers.
Romania
As of April 23, a total of 777,602 Ukrainians have left their country to enter Romania, many of whom arrived through Moldova, landlocked between Romania and Ukraine.
Most continued their journey to other countries.
Russia
The number of refugees in Russia stood at 605,815 as of April 24. The figures have not been updated since then.
UNHCR also notes that between February 18 and 23, 105,000 people crossed from the pro-Russian separatist territories of Donetsk and Luhansk (eastern Ukraine) to Russia.
Hungary
A total of 492,976 Ukrainians had entered Hungary by April 24.
Moldova
The Moldovan border is closest to the major Ukrainian port of Odessa. According to the UNHCR, 433,895 Ukrainians had entered Moldova, a former Soviet republic and a small country of 2.6 million inhabitants among the poorest in Europe, as of April 24. Most of these refugees continued their journey to other countries.
Slovakia
A total of 355,593 refugees have arrived from Ukraine in Slovakia since the start of the war, according to UNHCR figures dated April 24.
Belarus
As of April 24, 24,477 Ukrainians have found refuge in Belarus, a close ally of Russia.
Method
The UNHCR specifies that for the countries bordering Ukraine which are part of the Schengen area (Hungary, Poland, Slovakia), the figures presented by the High Commission count those who have crossed the border and entered the country. The UNHCR estimates that “a large number of people have continued on their way to other countries”.
In addition, the organization indicates that it does not count people from neighboring countries who leave Ukraine to return home.