Ten million people_ about one-fourth of the population_ have now fled their homes in Ukraine due to Russia’s unprovoked war, the United Nations refugee chief said on March 20.
„Among the responsibilities of those who wage war, everywhere in the world, is the suffering inflicted on civilians who are forced to flee their homes,” UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi tweeted on Sunday.
„The war in Ukraine is so devastating that 10 million have fled either displaced inside the country, or as refugees abroad,” he added.
According to UNHCR figures, more than 3.4 million Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have left Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24.
Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are eligible for military call-up and re banned from leaving.
The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, says more than 1.5 million children are among those who have fled abroad.
The refugees are crossing to neighboring countries to the west, such as Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, and Moldova.
The European Union has granted Ukrainians who flee the war the right to stay and work throughout the 27-nation bloc for up to three years.
Authorities in the besieged city of Mariupol claim that several thousand residents have been forcibly relocated to Russia in recent days.
Romania welcomes Ukrainian refugee children with fluffy toys
