Ukraine refugee exodus surpasses 3.5 million

AP , Tuesday 22 Mar 2022

The UN refugee agency says more than 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion, passing another milestone in an exodus that has led to Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II.

Ukrainian refugees
Ukrainian evacuees arrive at the train station in Przemysl, near the Polish-Ukrainian border, which became one of the main hubs for the relocation of Ukrainian refugees on March 21, 2022. AFP

UNHCR reported Tuesday that 3.53 million people have left Ukraine, with Poland taking in the lion's share more than 2.1 million  followed by Romania with more than 540,000 and Moldova with more than 367,000.

Shortly after the invasion on Feb. 24, UNHCR predicted that some 4 million refugees might leave Ukraine, though it has been re-assessing that prediction. The outflows have been slowing in recent days after peaking at more than 200,000 each on two straight days in early March.

The International Organization for Migration estimates that nearly 6.5 million people are internally displaced within Ukraine, suggesting that some if not most of them might to flee abroad if the war continues.

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