The UN is preparing for possible influxes of one to five million Ukrainian refugees who could soon flee the country, depending on the course of the war that has broken out in Ukraine.
“We are preparing with the UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency) contingency plans for the departure of a population of one to three million people to Poland, and of one to five million considering all neighboring countries,” said the Unicef’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia, Afshan Khan.
The representative stated that it was decided to reactivate the plan launched in the face of the refugee crisis that shook Europe between 2015 and 2016, at that time as a result of the war in Syria.
UNHCR said it had received reports that around 5,000 people had crossed from Ukraine into neighboring Moldova, while Ukrainians were also being observed fleeing to Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Afshan Khan said that UN humanitarian agencies would have to provide assistance not only to refugees leaving Ukraine, but also to families displaced within the country.
The UN counts on the solidarity of neighboring countries and that they keep their borders open for refugees from Ukraine, “including those who are unlikely to receive migrant families and children,” Khan said.
The government of Hungary, Ukraine’s neighbor, is traditionally one of the toughest and opposes the entry of refugees or migrants into its territory.
#prepares #influx #million #Ukrainian #refugees