Nearly 1.37 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion ten days ago, according to the latest UN counts on Saturday. The High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) listed exactly 1,368,864 refugees on its dedicated website at 1:15 p.m. These are nearly 160,000 more than during the previous tally on Friday.
Authorities and the UN expect the flow to intensify as the Russian army continues to advance into Ukraine, with fierce fighting still around the capital Kiev. “1.3 million people have continued to flee Ukraine in search of safety. Unless the conflict ends immediately, millions more are likely to be forced to flee,” UNHCR said in a tweet on Saturday. According to the UN, four million people may want to leave the country to escape the war.
Poland, which has taken up the cause of Ukraine and where US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived on Saturday for talks with senior officials of that country, is hosting by far the largest number of refugees arriving since the beginning of the Russian invasion. In total, there were 756,303 in Poland on Saturday, according to the UNHCR count, or 106,400 more than on Friday and 55.3% of the total counted. Polish border guards say a total of 787,300 people have fled from Ukraine to Poland, according to figures released on Saturday.
Hungary received 157,004 people or 11.5% of the total and almost 12,300 more than the day before, according to the UNHCR. The country has five border posts with Ukraine and several border towns, such as Zahony, have converted public buildings into relief centers, where Hungarian civilians come to offer food or assistance.
“Thousands and thousands of people”
The UNHCR had not updated the number of refugees in Moldova on Saturday, which stood at 103,254 on Friday, or 7.5% of the total number. “Today in Palanca I saw thousands and thousands of people crossing the border post between Ukraine and Moldova. Thousands of stories of separation, anguish and loss. A difficult day, but great respect for the many dedicated Moldovan officials and people helping refugees,” the head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi, tweeted Friday evening. .
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According to the UNHCR, some of the refugees continue their journey to Romania or Hungary, often to find family. Some 101,529 people have fled Ukraine and taken refuge in Slovakia, 7.4% of the total, according to UNHCR. In Romania, the UNHCR counts 63,192 refugees, or regarding 4.6% of the total.
The UNHCR also specified that 133,876 people (9.8% of the total) had continued their journey, once the Ukrainian border had been crossed, towards other European countries. The number of people who have taken refuge in Russia is unchanged – some 5,300 – or 3.9% of the total number.
