Nearly five million Ukrainians have fled the war since Russia’s invasion, the United Nations said Tuesday, sounding alarm at the rapid exodus and voicing concern that the situation may worsen.
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said 4,980,589 Ukrainians had left since Russia invaded on February 24 — a figure up 46,174 on Monday’s total.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) says nearly 215,000 third-country nationals — largely students and migrant workers — have also escaped to neighbouring countries, meaning around 5.2 million people in all have fled Ukraine since the war began.
Officials call it the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.
On Tuesday, Russia’s defence minister said Moscow was seeking to “liberate” east Ukraine and the ministry said Moscow launched dozens of air strikes across eastern Ukraine overnight.
Kyiv accuses Russian forces of unleashing a major new offensive in the Donbas region.
Women and children account for 90 percent of those who fled, with men aged 18 to 60 eligible for military call-up and unable to leave.
Nearly two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have been forced from their homes, including those still inside the country.
More than 2.8 million Ukrainian refugees have fled to Poland. Three quarters of a million have reached Romania.
UNHCR figures show nearly 645,000 Ukrainians fled in February, with nearly 3.4 million doing so in March and 945,000 leaving so far this month.
Beyond the refugees, the IOM estimates 7.1 million people are displaced within in Ukraine.
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