More Than Five Million Ukrainians Flee War

Shafaq News/ More than five million Ukrainians have now fled their country following the Russian invasion, the United Nations said Wednesday.

The action is Europe's fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II.

UNHCR said 5,034,439 Ukrainians had left since Russia invaded on February 24 -- an increase of 53,850 over Tuesday's total.

"They have left behind their homes and families. Many would do anything, and some even risk going back, to see their loved ones," said UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi.

"Every new attack shatters their hopes. Only an end to the war can pave the way for rebuilding their lives."

Women and children account for 90 percent of those who fled abroad, with men aged 18 to 60 eligible for military call-up and unable to leave.

The UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) said an additional 218,000 third-country nationals -- largely students and migrant workers -- have also escaped to neighbouring countries.

"Eight weeks into the conflict, we are at five million and counting, with five million unique stories of loss and trauma," said deputy UNHCR chief Kelly T Clements.

Beyond the refugees, the IOM estimates 7.1 million people are displaced within in Ukraine.

Here is a breakdown of how many Ukrainian refugees have fled to neighbouring countries, according to UNHCR:

Nearly six out of 10 Ukrainian refugees -- 2,825,463 so far -- have crossed into Poland.

Many of them have travelled on to other states in Europe's Schengen open-borders zone.

Meanwhile, 756,000 people have crossed from Poland into Ukraine, Polish border guards said.

Before the war, Poland was home to around 1.5 million Ukrainians, chiefly migrant workers.

A total of 757,047 Ukrainians entered the EU member state, including a large number who crossed over from Moldova, wedged between Romania and Ukraine.

The vast majority are thought to have gone on to other countries.

Another 549,805 refugees have sought shelter in Russia.

In addition, 105,000 people crossed into Russia from the separatist-held pro-Russian regions of Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine between February 18 and 23.

A total of 471,080 Ukrainians have entered Hungary.

The Moldovan border is the closest to the major port city of Odessa. A total of 426,964 Ukrainians have crossed into the non-EU state, one of the poorest in Europe. Most have moved on.

A total of 342,813 people crossed Ukraine's shortest border into Slovakia.

Another 23,759 refugees have made it north to Russia's close ally Belarus.