UPDATE - Refugees fleeing war in Ukraine projected to exceed 8M

ADDS FURTHER DETAILS

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA – The UN refugee agency on Tuesday projected that the number of people fleeing the war in Ukraine will soar to 8.3 million.

“The rapidity with which people are fleeing, we have not seen in recent times,” said UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo at a press conference.

She said that the UNHCR refugee projection for people fleeing the war is for this year.

Mantoo said that the number of internally displaced people in Ukraine is 7.7 million, adding to more than 5.2 million fleeing to other countries.

At the same press conference, Jens Laerke, Geneva spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that the estimated number of people in need of humanitarian aid has increased from 12 million to 15.7 million.

“Food is a primary need for those internally displaced” in Ukraine, said International Organization for Migration (UN Migration) spokesman Paul Dillon.

At least 2,665 civilians have been killed and 3,053 injured in Ukraine since Russia launched a war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be much higher.