The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that more than 4.6 million Ukrainian refugees have fled their country since February 24.
According to a new count established on Tuesday, the UNHCR lists exactly 4,615,830 refugees, or 68,000 more than in the previous count established on Monday.
While the UN agency reports a slight drop in arrivals, it believes that new arrivals are in a “more vulnerable state”.
During a press briefing in Geneva, Matt Saltmarsh, a spokesperson for the High Commission, pointed out that “new refugees have less means and are also less well prepared in terms of where they want to go” , compared to those who fled in the first weeks of the conflict.
Poland hosts by far the largest number of refugees. Since February 24, 2,645,877 of them have entered Poland as of April 11. 701,741 people have also traveled to Romania, while Moldova reports 413,374 arrivals of Ukrainian refugees.
In total, almost 12 million people, more than a quarter of the population, have had to leave their homes either by crossing the border to reach neighboring countries or by finding refuge elsewhere in Ukraine. Indeed, in addition to the 4.6 million refugees, there are also 7.1 million internally displaced persons, according to figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) published last week.
In addition, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded 4,335 civilian victims since February 24, or 1,842 dead, including 148 children, and 2,493 injured. According to the UN, the figures are likely much higher since they do not include at this stage the number of dead in areas where intense and constant hostilities are taking place.
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