UN fears more than 10 million displaced by Ukraine war

The UN said Thursday that it projected that more than ten million people may flee their homes in Ukraine as a result of the war, with four million of them seeking refuge in neighbouring countries.

"We expect that more than ten million people may flee their homes if the violence continues, which includes four million people who may cross into neighbouring countries," spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

So far, more than one million refugees have already left Ukraine, a country of some 43 million citizens, for neighbouring countries, mainly Poland, according to UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Of these, about half a million are children, Unicef said in a statement today, saying it expects the numbers to continue to rise rapidly in the coming days.

Meanwhile, there are fewer details on the number of internally displaced people, although the UN notes that the main Ukrainian railway company had already reported on 28 February the evacuation of more than 500,000 people, mostly from eastern and central parts of the country to the west.

The spokesman said the UN continues to work to strengthen its humanitarian response and that, while it has pulled some of its staff out of Kiev, other staff remain in the Ukrainian capital and are supporting the evacuation of civilians and the delivery of assistance.

According to Dujarric, humanitarian services stress the need for safe and unimpeded access to all those affected by the conflict.

So far, the UN has verified the death of 249 civilians since the start of the war and 553 wounded, although it warns that the real numbers are likely to be much higher.