More than 660,000 people, mostly women and children, have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries in the last six days since Russia invaded, the UN refugee agency said on Tuesday.
Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told a briefing in Geneva there were reports of people waiting for up to 60 hours to enter Poland, while queues at the Romanian border are up to 20 km long.
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Meanwhile, the Red Cross appealed on Tuesday for more than $270 million to help people caught up in the Ukraine conflict, fearing that millions are rapidly being plunged into extreme suffering.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said the humanitarian situation in Ukraine is rapidly deteriorating.
“To respond to this sudden, massive need, the two organizations together are appealing for 250 million Swiss francs ($273 million),” the joint movement said.
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