More than 4.5 million people have fled the country since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The number of refugees increased in 24 hours by more than 42,000 to a total of 4,503,954, as the UN refugee agency UNHCR announced today.
It is the largest refugee movement in Europe since the Second World War. According to estimates by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), another 7.1 million people are fleeing inside Ukraine.
runaway women and children
90% of people fleeing abroad are women and children, as men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave Ukraine. According to the UN, nearly 60% of the 4.5 million refugees fled to Poland.
Many travel from there to other countries. In Poland, 700,000 Ukrainians were given a national identification number that gives them access to the social system.
Refugees should not stay in Moldova
According to UNHCR, as of 9 April, 686,232 people had entered Romania, mostly via Moldova. The European Commission is encouraging Ukrainian refugees in Moldova to continue their journey to the EU. Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe and has only 2.6 million inhabitants.
According to the UN, Hungary has so far received over 419,000 Ukrainian refugees and Slovakia around 314,500. Some 404,500 refugees sought protection in Russia.