UN: Another 40,000 Ukrainians flee war
Many of the nearly five million people who have fled Ukraine will not have homes to return to, the United Nations said today as another 40,000 fled the country in 24 hours.
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said 4,836,445 million Ukrainians had left the country since the Russian invasion on February 24 — a number up 40,200 on Friday’s total.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) says nearly 215,000 third-country nationals — largely students and migrant workers — have also escaped to neighbouring countries, meaning more than five million people in all have fled Ukraine since the war began.
It is one of the fastest-growing displacement and humanitarian crises ever.
“People’s greatest wish is to go back home. But for so many, there is no home to return to since it’s been destroyed or damaged, or is located in an area that is not safe,” said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR’s representative in Ukraine.
“Housing is one of the areas of greatest concern. Although hundreds of thousands of people are now staying in temporary reception centres or with hosting families who have generously opened their homes… longer term solutions need to be found.”
