The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) raised this Tuesday to 660,000 people who have left Ukraine towards neighboring countries in the first five days of war.
Refugees are suffering long hours of waiting to enter some countries, up to 60 hours according to UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo at a press conference, and their exodus is also complicated by low temperatures and transportation problems that force them to walk long distances.
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Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova, all of them neighbors of Ukraine, are for now the main destinations of this flow of refugees.
For its part, the United Nations International Organization for Migrants (IOM) welcomed in a statement the decision of different governments to support the Ukrainian diaspora through visa extensions.
In this regard, he welcomed the fact that the EU is debating guaranteeing Ukrainian refugees temporary protection status, which would allow them to live and work for up to three years in one of the 27 Member States.
IOM is also trying to assist the estimated 470,000 foreigners living in Ukraine, many of whom are currently trapped in the country due to the conflict, including students and migrant workers.
Some countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia have asked IOM for help to care for these migrants, as well as the estimated 6,000 who have managed to reach neighboring Moldova and Slovakia.
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The figures until Monday nightPoland
Poland welcomed a large part of them, some 281,300, according to the latest data from Acnur.
In Poland, where 1.5 million Ukrainians already lived before the Russian offensive, people organize on social networks to raise money and medicine and also offer free housing, food, work or transport to refugees.
Hungary
Hungary hosted 93,938 refugees, the UNHCR said on Monday.
The country has five border posts with Ukraine and several neighboring cities, such as Zahony, have made public buildings available to accommodate Ukrainians.
Some civilians went there to offer food or help.
moldova
Some 38,388 refugees arrived on Moldovan territory on Monday.
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Romania
UNHCR counted 34,361 refugees from the country in conflict.
Two camps have been set up, one in Sighetul and the other in Siret, where there are about 40 residents who will be transferred to other reception centers.
Slovakia
Some 30,000 Ukrainians have traveled to Slovakia since Thursday due to the threat of war, according to UNHCR.
Other countries
The UN agency also specified that 40,759 Ukrainians took refuge in other European countries, further away from the borders of their country.
AFP
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