The war in Ukraine on Tuesday surpassed the mark of 2 million people displaced just 13 days after the start of Russia’s military campaign. The figure was released by UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.
Until this Tuesday, the organization’s database recorded 2,011,313 people who had fled the conflicts. More than half (1.2 million) went to Poland.
For comparison purposes, the number of displaced persons is equivalent to the population of Brazilian capitals such as Manaus and Curitiba. It also accounts for about 4.5% of the entire Ukrainian population.
According to the UN, the refugee crisis in Ukraine is the fastest growing in Europe since the Second World War. The number of displaced people surpassed the 1 million mark on Wednesday (2).
Filippo Grandi, UNHCR’s high commissioner, said the continuation of the war could leave refugees in an increasingly vulnerable situation. “We will start to see people without resources and without connections,” he said.
“This will be a more complex situation to manage for European countries going forward, and there will need to be even more solidarity from everyone in Europe,” Grandi said.
In addition to Poland, Hungary (191,300), Slovakia (140,700), Moldova (82,800), Romania (82,000) and Russia (99,300) are other countries that have hosted refugees.
Ukraine has approximately 44 million inhabitants. During the conflicts, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces have been accused of hitting civilian targets.
On Tuesday, at least 21 people – including two children – died during bombing in Sumi. The city, located 350 km east of Kiev, has been the scene of fierce fighting for several days.
Russia and Ukraine are negotiating the opening of new humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones. Also on Tuesday, residents of Sumi and Irpin (near Kiev) began to leave the cities, according to Ukrainian officials.
It is the fourth attempt to evacuate civilians from areas of confrontation. Earlier, the organization of humanitarian corridors in Ukrainian cities, agreed at the second meeting of negotiations, failed due to the continuation of the attacks.
Last week, European Union countries reached an agreement to grant temporary protection to war refugees and their families. They will have the right to stay and work in the bloc’s countries for up to three years.
