(EFE).- One million people have fled Ukraine in the seven days since Russia launched its invasion, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi said Thursday.

“I have worked in refugee emergencies for almost 40 years, and rarely have I seen an exodus as rapid as this one,” Grandi said in a statement.

“Hour by hour, minute by minute, more people are fleeing the terrifying reality of violence. Countless have been displaced inside the country,” Grandi added.

“And unless there is an immediate end to the conflict, millions more are likely to be forced to flee Ukraine.”

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has registered 53,500 refugee and asylum requests by Ukrainian nationals, some 36,500 of which were filed in Europe.

Poland on Thursday said 575,000 people had crossed the border with Ukraine since the invasion began, including some 95,000 on Wednesday alone, the PAP news agency reported.

Refugees have also poured into neighboring Romania, Moldova, Hungary and Slovakia.EFE
© 2022 EFE News Services (U.S.) Inc.

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