Over 1 million Ukrainians have abandoned their homes in Ukraine in the past seven days, according to a Thursday report from the United Nations’s refugee agency.
“Rarely have I seen an exodus as rapid as this one,” U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a statement.
“And unless there is an immediate end to the conflict, millions more are likely to be forced to flee Ukraine,” he said.
Just three days ago, the agency reported 500,000 Ukrainians had fled.
According to the report, more than half of the Ukrainian refugees fled to Poland. Others sought refuge in Hungary, Moldova, and several other European countries.
Grandi went on to project that an additional 4 million could flee should the violence continue. Before the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, the UNHCR had already estimated that 2.9 million people in the now conflict-affected area were in need of humanitarian aid. That number is sure to rise due to the war.
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“In just seven days we have witnessed the exodus of one million refugees from Ukraine to neighbouring countries,” Grandi tweeted Wednesday. “For many millions more, inside Ukraine, it’s time for guns to fall silent, so that life-saving humanitarian assistance can be provided.”
In just seven days we have witnessed the exodus of one million refugees from Ukraine to neighbouring countries.
For many millions more, inside Ukraine, it’s time for guns to fall silent, so that life-saving humanitarian assistance can be provided.
— Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) March 2, 2022
The report noted that 5,000 refugees from other countries were living in Ukraine before the invasion, mostly from Afghanistan and Syria.
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Eighteen million Ukrainians live within the area where the conflict is occurring. According to recent reports, Russian forces have killed 2,000 civilians.
