Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

More Than 5 Million People Fled the War in Ukraine: UNHCR

The number of refugees linked to the conflict in Ukraine has crossed the 5 million mark, according to new data released today. This is the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.
April 21, 2022
ukraine refugees

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 5,034,439 Ukrainians have left their country since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24. This is exactly 53,586 more than the count made yesterday Tuesday.

“5 million people have now fled Ukraine. They left their homes and families behind,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a tweet. “Many would do anything, and some even risk returning, to see their loved ones,” he added, noting however that “each new attack shatters their hopes of returning.”

UNHCR said on March 30 that 4 million people had fled Ukraine. The exodus has been a little slower in recent weeks than at the start of the war.

Among these 5 million refugees, more than 218,000 are nationals of other countries, according to the International Organization for Migration

Poland alone hosts more than half of all refugees who have fled since the start of the Russian invasion. In total, just over 2,825,463 refugees are present in this country, according to the UNHCR count as of April 19.

Although many remained there, an unknown number of them continued their journey. According to humanitarian organizations, there are few border controls within the European Union.

Besides Poland, Romania remains a destination for Ukrainian civilians. Since February 24, 757,047 people have entered Romania. Hungary hosts 471,080 people, according to UNHCR figures as of April 19.

In addition, since February 24, nearly 426,964 people have entered Moldova through Ukraine. As for Slovakia, it counts 342,813 people have fled Ukraine, according to the updated UNHCR update on 19 April.

Russia remains the third destination for Ukrainian refugees after Poland and Romania.  The number of people who have found refuge in Russia amounts to nearly 549,805 as of April 19, 2022. In neighbouring Belarus, more than 23,759 Ukrainian refugees have been welcomed in this country.

In addition to refugees, more than 7.1 million people have been displaced inside Ukraine. In total, more than 12 million people, more than a quarter of the Ukrainian population, have been forced to flee their homes since February 24.