368,000 refugees have fled Ukraine amid Russian attacks: UN

By Peter Kenny and Bayram Altug

GENEVA (AA) – At least 368,000 refugees have left Ukraine for neighboring countries since Russia launched its military intervention this week, the UN said on Sunday.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) tweeted the new number after increased attacks were reported overnight in Ukraine.

It said the current number is “based on data made available by national authorities … and continues to rise.”

UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told Anadolu Agency more than 100,000 civilians have been displaced within Ukraine, but the UN does not yet have an updated figure.

“Great movements are being reported to and across international borders. The situation is very fluid and changes hourly,” she said.

The UNHCR has warned up to 4 million civilians could flee Ukraine if the situation escalates further.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), intense fighting is ongoing across major cities of Ukraine.

These include the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson and Odessa among others, “as well as the conflict-stricken Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts,” it said in a report.

The UN agency said people fleeing Ukraine are heading to neighboring countries including Poland, Moldova and Romania.​​​​​​​