Poland’s border guards said Friday that more than two million refugees had crossed into the EU member from neighboring Ukraine since the February 24 Russian invasion.
“At 9:00 am the number of refugees from Ukraine exceeded two million. It is mainly women with children,” the guards said on Twitter.
“Border guard officers are the first Poles to bring them assistance after the border crossing. Often simple words of support mean the most,” they added.
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Poland has received more than half of the refugees fleeing Ukraine. Others have fled to fellow neighbors such as Romania, Hungary and Slovakia.
On Thursday, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said more than 3.1 million people had fled Ukraine since the invasion.
“Hour by hour, minute by minute, people are fleeing the terrifying reality of violence in Ukraine. Unless the conflict ends, this heart-breaking crisis is set to grow. We need peace, now,” the agency said.
It added that more than two million people still within Ukraine’s borders had fled their homes.
The UNHCR initially estimated that up to four million people could leave Ukraine, but last week admitted that figure might well be revised upwards.
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