(Geneva) More than 3.6 million people have fled Ukraine and the fighting sparked by the invasion of the Russian army on February 24, according to the UN count published on Wednesday.
Posted at 8:57
Updated at 8:58 am
In total, about ten million people, or about a quarter of the population, have been forced to leave their homes.
The UN estimates the number of internally displaced people in Ukraine at nearly 6.5 million.
“Meeting the needs of internally displaced people and those affected by hostilities in Ukraine itself is the top priority,” said the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
“Several millions more will see their lives turned upside down if the war continues,” said the IOM.
3,626,546 refugees
The High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) listed exactly 3,626,546 Ukrainian refugees on its dedicated website around 8 a.m. EDT. These are 69,301 more than during the previous tally on Tuesday.
Europe has not seen such a rapid influx of refugees since World War II.
Some 90% of those who fled Ukraine are women and children. According to UNICEF, more than 1.5 million children are among those who fled.
Before this conflict, Ukraine was populated by more than 37 million people in the territories controlled by Kyiv – which therefore does not include the Crimea (south) annexed by Russia, nor the eastern areas under the control of the separatists. prorussians.
Poland
Poland alone hosts more than half of all refugees who have fled since the start of the Russian invasion – around six out of every 10 refugees.
Since February 24, 2,144,244 people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine have entered Poland, according to UNHCR’s tally.
The Polish border guards indicated for their part that the number of arrivals stood at 2,175,000 people.
“About two-thirds of these refugees want to stay in Poland,” World Health Organization representative in Ukraine Paloma Cuchi told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.
The others go elsewhere in Europe or further afield. Some 200,000 Ukrainian refugees have taken advantage of free train travel to leave Poland, Polish Railways said on Tuesday.
Before this crisis, Poland was already home to around 1.5 million Ukrainians who came, for the most part, to work in this member country of the European Union.
Romania
According to the UN refugee agency, 555,021 people have traveled to Romania. As with Moldova, many refugees decide to move on once they are safe.
Moldova
After their arrival in Moldova, a small country of 2.6 million inhabitants and one of the poorest in Europe, some of the refugees continue their journey to Romania or Hungary, often to find family.
According to the UNHCR, 371,104 people entered Moldova.
Hungary
Hungary has received 324,397 Ukrainians so far, according to UNHCR figures released on Tuesday (22 March).
The country has five border crossings with Ukraine. Several border towns, such as Zahony, have converted public buildings into relief centres, where Hungarian civilians come to offer food or assistance.
Slovakia
According to the UNHCR update as of March 22, 256,838 Ukrainians have gone to Slovakia.
Russia
The number of people who have found refuge in Russia stands at nearly 271,254 as of March 22.
UNHCR also notes that between February 21 and 23, 113,000 people crossed from the pro-Russian separatist territories of Donetsk and Luhansk into Russia.
Belarus
As of March 21, Belarus had welcomed 4,938 people.
Method
The UNHCR has deleted the section concerning the other European countries and specifies that for the countries bordering Ukraine which are part of the Schengen area (Hungary, Poland, Slovakia), the figures presented by the High Commissioner are those which 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.