The United Nations is preparing for up to 4 million refugees from Ukraine if Russia's war against the country continues to escalate.
At least 100,000 people have been uprooted in Ukraine after fleeing their homes following the Russian invasion, while several thousand have already crossed into neighboring countries including Moldova, Romania, and Poland, UN refugee agency spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told a briefing in Geneva on February 25. The UN agency said it stands ready to provide assistance to Ukrainians seeking to escape.
UN human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said that it had received reports of at least 127 civilian casualties in Ukraine "caused by shelling and air strikes," including 25 dead and 102 injured. She said the true numbers were assumed to be much higher.
"We are still trying to see which civilian infrastructure in Ukraine has been hit where," Afshan Khan, UNICEF’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia, told the briefing.
Separately, Moldova and Romania said that, since the start of the invasion, they have received almost 16,000 and 10,000 Ukrainian refugees, respectively.
