UN says over 3 mn people including 1.5 mn children fled Ukraine since Russian invasion

As the Russian aggression against Ukraine has entered its 21st day, over three million Ukrainian citizens were forced to leave the war-torn nation to the neighbouring countries in search of safety, the United Nations suggests. According to the United Nations' refugee agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the number of Ukrainian refugees leaving might reach four or five million in the future. Meanwhile, UN humanitarians reported on Tuesday that nearly one youngster is becoming a refugee every second in Ukraine due to the war, UN News reported.   

In the last 20 days since the Russia-Ukraine war started, approximately 3,000,381 individuals have fled the country, according to UNHCR figures based primarily on border agency statistics. Further, on February 24, nearly 84,681 Ukrainian refugees fled the nation. While around 1.5 million Ukrainian children have become refugees over the period of time, Ukraine Pravda reported.  

James Elder, a UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) official, said, “every day, over the past 20 days, in Ukraine more than 70,000 children have become refugees. That’s every minute, 55 children fleeing the country.” Elder further emphasised that young people are victims of traffickers when they arrive in unknown new environments, pointing out that nine out of ten individuals escaping persistent violence in Ukraine are women and children. 

The refugee crisis in Europe as Russia invades Ukraine

Furthermore, Commissioner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi stated on Saturday that since World War II, the refugee influx in Europe is considered to be the largest due to the Russia-Ukraine war. Taking to Twitter, Grandi said, “Today we have passed another terrible milestone: three million refugees have fled from Ukraine.” 

In addition to this, many of the Ukrainian refugees have taken shelter in Poland, which is only across the border. Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau has claimed on Monday that his nation has taken in 1.6 million refugees, which had grown to 1.8 million on Tuesday, CBS News reported. Ukrainians are not only welcomed, but also provided with medical treatment, relocation, accommodation, and educational and career prospects, according to Rau. Nonetheless, he stated that his nation requires support in order to effectively accept refugees. 

Apart from Poland, Romania has accepted nearly 459,485 Ukrainian refugees, while Moldova has 337,215. Further, nearly 2,67,570 refugees have gone to Hungary and Slovakia with 213,000 have volunteered to help with the refugee crisis. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, about 144,000 individuals have escaped to Russia and Belarus. 

These revelations came after the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned on Monday that Russia's military assault against civilians was "reaching terrifying proportions." 

Image: AP