Washington – Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, estimated on Sunday that 1.5 million Ukrainians had fled the country following the invasion of Russia, which he said was the fastest exodus of people since of World War II.
“As of today, we have surpassed the terrible mark of 1.5 million refugees in 10 days, mainly from Ukraine to five neighboring countries,” he said. “If I think about the last few decades, I can’t think of a faster exodus of people to Europe, not since the end of World War II.”
Grandi said that mostly women and children from Ukraine arrive, as men between the ages of 18 and 60 must remain to defend the country against Russia, as well as the elderly and the disabled.
“They are mostly scared, traumatized. They are people who until just a few days ago lived a perfectly normal life and in a matter of hours everything falls apart,” he said, adding that “trauma and anxiety is the most feature at this time “.
“We need this to stop because without the war stopping, people will continue to leave the country,” Grandi said. “A million and a half is hard enough to manage even for the relatively stable and prosperous countries of Europe. Imagine, however, if we go higher and we will, without a doubt, stop.”
U.S. and European allies have provided humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, but Grandi said more supplies are needed in the country, while relief supplies and money are needed for those who have already fled.
“European countries have the means and organization, but if this number of people grows, we will need more international support and at some point, if people stay here for a long period of time, there will have to be other countries that offer places for to take in refugees, even outside Europe, “he said.
Russian and Ukrainian officials have agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and nearby Volnovakha to allow civilians to evacuate over the weekend. But the effort collapsed twice after Russian forces intensified their attack, Ukrainian officials said, complicating the ability of more to escape the fighting, which is on its 11th day.
Grandi said that the UN and the Red Cross, while in Ukraine, are working to negotiate a safe passage to the most affected places, such as Mariupol, but have not yet secured the necessary guarantees and respect for the ceasefire. .
“This is an extremely messy situation, all over Ukraine,” he said, adding that Russian forces are firing on civilians trying to flee. “People are so scared to leave their homes.”
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