Of . – 03/30/2022 12:13 (act 03/30/2022 15:35)
UNHCR: More than four million people fled Ukraine ©AP Photo/Michael Sohn
As the UN refugee agency reported on Wednesday, more than four million people have already left Ukraine.
Since the Russian invasion began on February 24, 4.02 million people have fled the country, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said on Wednesday. In addition, according to United Nations estimates, around 6.5 million people are fleeing within Ukraine.
Most Ukrainians flee to Poland
By far the largest number of those who have fled abroad (2.34 million) so far has been counted in Poland, followed by Romania (609,000). Hundreds of thousands also arrived in Moldova, Hungary and Slovakia.
To date, 37,800 refugees have been registered in Austria
About 37,800 refugees have been registered in Austria – 12,000 people are registered in Vienna alone. More than 280,000 arrivals were counted in Germany.
As there are no fixed border controls and people with a Ukrainian passport can enter the country without a visa for 90 days, the total number of refugees from Ukraine is likely to be significantly higher.
Many children fled Ukraine
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF, around two million children have fled Ukraine so far. In addition, there are 2.5 million children who have had to flee the war within the country, the humanitarian aid organization announced Wednesday in New York. This means that more of every second child in the country is no longer in their previous home. “As the number of children leaving their homes continues to increase, we must remember that each of them needs protection, education, safety and support,” said UNICEF Director Catherine Russell.
Ukraine: War refugees are still 50% children
Children make up half of all Ukrainian war refugees. Most of them, around 1.1 million, fled to Poland. UNICEF has warned of an increased risk of trafficking and exploitation of human beings to which these children are exposed. According to official UN figures, more than 100 children have been killed during the Russian invasion so far. Another 134 were injured. However, the number of unreported cases is likely to be much higher.
This week, the children’s charity launched a humanitarian campaign that has already been tried and tested in other crisis countries to provide direct monetary support to 52,000 of Ukraine’s most vulnerable families. In addition, 114 trucks with relief supplies were dispatched, of which 63 have already arrived in the country.