The number of refugees from Ukraine is already close to five million

MADRID, 19 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –

Almost five million people have been forced to leave Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion on February 24, according to estimates by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which confirm the worst forecasts that were raised in the first stages of the conflict.

More than 2.8 million refugees have already arrived in Poland alone, although in recent days the local authorities have registered a one-off reversal in the migratory flow, with more returns to Ukraine than departures, which could be due to temporary visits by Ukrainians to their country of origin.

Romania has more than 750,000 arrivals, while the UNHCR has registered another 466,000 in Hungary, 425,000 in Moldova and 340,000 in Slovakia. In addition, it estimates that more than 535,000 refugees have arrived in Russia, although local authorities say that the figure is higher.

The data from the UNHCR and from the countries themselves do not discriminate between the refugees who have stayed in the state neighboring Ukraine from those who have followed their route to other areas of Europe. Some 360,000 Ukrainians have already arrived in Germany alone, according to the DPA news agency.

Furthermore, the flow of internal displacement is relentless, especially in the eastern part of Ukraine. The UN estimates that there are more than 7.1 million internally displaced persons, which would be added to the 5 million refugees who have left the country.