NEW YORK, 27 April 2022, (TON): The United Nations warned “more than eight million Ukrainians could flee as refugees this year and doubled its aid appeal for those stuck inside the war-ravaged country.”
Nearly 5.3 million Ukrainians have already fled Ukraine since Russia launched its full-fledged invasion on February 24, fuelling Europe’s fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II.
The UN refugee agency, which initially forecast that up to four million people would flee this year, said it would need $1.85 billion to support refugees in neighbouring countries. UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo said “it was anyone’s guess as to when we will reach this 8.3-million figure”, stressing “the situation is highly dynamic.”
She told reporters in Geneva “these displacements are still occurring every day. Every hour we are seeing people continue to flee Ukraine.”