Since Russia invaded Ukraine two weeks ago, the number of The number of refugees fleeing has almost reached 2.6 millions, the United Nations announced on Saturday. The United Nations High Commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) said there were 2,597,543 refugees who had fled Ukraine so far, in the latest update on Saturday afternoon.
The figure was 92,650 higher that the last to count on Friday.
It’s the most grand Exodus of refugees in Europe since World War II, according to the head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi.
Four millions people could leave Ukraine to flee the war, according to the first estimates of the UN, a figure which will probably be revised upwards, according to the UN refugee agency.
Before the conflict, Ukraine had a population of some 37 millions in the regions under son control, excluding Crimea annexed by Russia and pro-Russian breakaway regions in ballast.
Poland welcomes over half Ukrainian refugees with 1,575,703 crossings into the country since the February 24 invasion according to the UNHCR.
Polish border guards said on Saturday that 1,596,000 people had arrived from Ukraine since the beginning of the war.
the second vague of refugee arrivals appear to be slowly decreasing. On Friday, their number was 76,200, down 12.5% from the previous day.
Tens of thousands of people are also entering Ukraine from Poland – mainly people returning to fight corn also others seek to take care of for from parents elderly or returning to bring their family to Poland.
Before the crisis, about 1.5 million Ukrainians lived in Poland, the vast majority working in the nation of the European Union.
Hungary hosts 235,576 refugees so far, according to UNHCR figures on Friday. It has five border posts with Ukraine and several border towns such as Zahony where local authorities have turned public buildings in emergency centers for the refugees.
Close behind Poland is Slovakia where a total of 185,673 have entered the country, according to UNHCR. Slovak authorities declared 9,581 people entered the country on Friday.
But while many are fleeing further afield from Russia, some have sought refuge there. As of Thursday 106,000 people from Ukraine had sought refuge in Russia.
The UN refugee agency said 96,000 people had passed through the pro-Russian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk between February 18 and 23.
Many Ukrainians fleeing their country transit through Moldova, a small nation of 2.6 millions people and one of the poorest in Europe, to continue to Romania or Hungary.
UNHCR says 104,929 refugee arrivals were recorded as of Thusday.
UNHCR does not have updated his statistics for Romania but 85,000 refugees had been registered in the country as of 8 March. Many refugees travel on to other nations of Romania.
Romanian authorities on Friday says 365,000 people had entered the country since February 24 and a little over 280,000 had come out.
UNHCR says about 304,000 people has traveled on to other Europeans countries.
