UN: nearly 3.9 million people have fled Ukraine

Geneva, Mar 28 (EFE).- Some 3.86 million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia launched its invasion over a month ago, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Monday.

Poland has received the majority of refugees with around 2.3 million Ukrainians seeking refuge in the neighboring country, followed by Romania, which has taken in 600,000.

Refugees also poured into other countries that share their borders with Ukraine but to a lesser extent, such as Hungary, Slovakia, Russia and Belarus.

UNHCR data and figures from other UN humanitarian agencies show that 90% of those who managed to flee Ukraine are women, children and senior citizens.

When Russia’s onslaught began on February 24, UNHCR anticipated that up to four million Ukrainians, or almost one-tenth of the total population, could flee the war, a figure that could potentially be exceeded over the course of the week.

Furthermore, at least 6.5 million Ukrainians were forced into internal displacement to escape the conflict, which adds up to more than 10 million Ukrainians or one-quarter of the total population.

Recently, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimated that more than half of the 7.5 million minors in Ukraine have been forced to leave their homes since the start of the war. EFE

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