More than 1.5 million refugees have now crossed from Ukraine into neighbouring countries since the Russian invasion began, the head of the UN Refugee Agency has said. Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees, tweeted on Sunday that it is “the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II”.
A precise update on the refugee figures was not given. Mr Grandi is currently visiting countries that border Ukraine.
On Saturday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited a welcome centre set up by Polish authorities in what once was a shopping centre in Korczowa, where roughly 3,000 refugees are taking shelter. Mr Blinken heard harrowing tales from mothers and their children who described long and perilous journeys – and the shock of the sudden disruption and the fear for their lives – after fleeing the devastation of the war.
