Over 2.15M people fled Ukraine since war began: UN

By Bayram Altug

GENEVA (AA) - The UN refugee agency on Wednesday said that more than 2.15 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the war began on Feb. 24.

In a statement, UNHCR said that more than 1.29 million Ukrainians have fled to Poland, 203,000 to Hungary, 153,000 to Slovakia, 85,000 to Romania, 99,000 to Russia, 82,000 to Moldova, 592 to Belarus and 183,000 to another European countries.

The statement also noted that some 96,000 people from Ukraine’s separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk regions moved to Russia between Feb. 18 and 23, before the war began.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 474 civilians have been killed and 861 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to the UN, which noted that conditions on the ground make it difficult to verify the true number.