A United Nations (UN) figures on Sunday, March 27, 2022, have shown that more than 3.8 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion a month (February) ago, although the flow of refugees slowed down markedly.
According to UN’s refugee agency, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 3,821,049 Ukrainians have fled the country, representing an increase of 48,450 from Saturday’s figures. Around 90 percent of them are women and children, the UNHCR added.
Of those who left, 2.2 million fled for neighbouring Poland, while more than half a million have made it to Romania. Nearly 300,000 have gone to Russia.
Prior to the crisis on Thursday, February 24, 2022, European Union member, Poland, was already home to around 1.5 million Ukrainians.
In total, more than 10 million people, over a quarter of the population in regions (Donetsk and Luhansk) under government control before the invasion on February 24, 2022, are now thought to have fled their homes, including nearly 6.5 million who are internally displaced. This invasion makes Ukraine’s refugee crisis the worst in Europe since World War II.
The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, in a report released on Thursday, March 24, 2022, revealed that 4.3 million children, which is more than half of Ukraine’s estimated 7.5 million child population have been forced to leave their homes. It puts the number of children who have become refugees at some 1.5 million, while another 2.5 million are displaced inside their war-ravaged country, it said.
The number leaving daily has fallen well below 100,000 per day, and even 50,000 in recent days, even as living conditions in Ukraine are worsening.
The figures do not include citizens of neighbouring states who have left Ukraine to return home.
Here is a breakdown of which neighbouring countries Ukrainian refugees have headed to, as of Sunday (March 27, 2022) afternoon.
Poland
Ukrainian refugees, summing around 2,267,103 so far, have crossed into Poland, according to UNHCR. Many people who cross into Ukraine’s immediate Western neighbours continue on to other States in Europe’s Schengen open-borders zone.
Others are also going in the opposite direction. Border Guards intimated earlier last week that some 274,000 people have left Poland for Ukraine since the war began.
Romania
Some 586,942 Ukrainians have entered EU member State, Romania, including a large number who have crossed over from Moldova, stuck between Romania and Ukraine. The vast majority are thought to have gone on to other countries.
Moldova
The Moldovan border is the nearest to the major port city of Odessa. UNHCR pointed out that 381,395 Ukrainians crossed into the non-EU State, which is one of the poorest in Europe.
To reduce congestion, organised convoys leave daily from the Palanca crossing for Romania, with the most vulnerable prioritised for transfer.
Hungary
Some 349,107 Ukrainians have entered Hungary, according to UNHCR.
Russia
Some 271,254 refugees are seeking shelter in Russia, according to UNHCR figures last updated on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.
In addition, 113,000 people crossed into Russia from the separatist-held pro-Russian Regions of Donetsk and Lugansk in Eastern Ukraine between February 21 and 23, 2022.
Slovakia & Belarus
Some 272,012 people crossed Ukraine’s shortest border into Slovakia, whereas some 6,341 refugees made it North to reach Russia’s ally, Belarus.
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