Long queues at border crossings

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According to the United Nations, nearly 700,000 people have left Ukraine for neighboring countries since Thursday’s Russian invasion. According to the government in Warsaw, kilometer-long lines are entering Poland, and people have to wait up to 60 hours, although waiting times have been shortened.

The U.N. said that queues at the border with Romania are up to 20 kilometers long. Most people are fleeing west to neighboring countries such as Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. The number of refugees is growing “exponentially,” a spokeswoman for the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said in Geneva.

Already, 677,000 people have fled Ukraine for neighboring countries, she said. About half have arrived in Poland, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said Tuesday in Geneva. He said that some 90,000 were in Hungary and tens of thousands in neighboring countries such as Moldova, Slovakia, and Romania. Within 24 hours, the total number had risen by 150,000, Grandi said Tuesday afternoon.

U.N. needs 1.5 billion euros for humanitarian aid

Grandi said that the people who have fled so far probably have mostly families or friends in neighboring countries and, most importantly, the means to escape. He said he was apprehensive about the others, who would surely need help in the coming days and weeks. The United Nations launched an appeal for donations: it needs nearly 1.5 billion euros for humanitarian aid in the Ukraine war.

The U.N. Office of Emergency Assistance (OCHA) said U.N. relief agencies need $1.1 billion (980 million euros) for their work inside Ukraine, which will support six million people for three months. Another $551 million (492 million euros) would be needed for refugees outside the country.

The United Nations estimates that 12 million people will need assistance and protection inside Ukraine. At the same time, more than four million Ukrainian refugees could be cared for in neighboring countries in the coming months. “This is the darkest hour for the people of Ukraine. We must intensify our response now to protect the lives and dignity of Ukrainians,” said OCHA chief Martin Griffiths.

According to border guards, more than 377,400 refugees from the neighboring country have arrived in Poland since the war began last week. On Monday alone, 100,000 people had crossed the border, Polish border guards announced via Twitter on Tuesday.

Poland’s government is preparing to receive up to one million refugees from Ukraine, Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said Tuesday after meeting with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock Lodz.

Poland promises to take in everyone.

The majority of those seeking protection are Ukrainians, Rau added. But Poland has taken in citizens, and nationals from 125 different countries, including many students from non-EU countries enrolled in Ukrainian universities. “Anyone who crosses the Polish border in fear for their life and health will be taken in and provided with food and shelter,” Rau stressed.

For many years already, a large group of an estimated 1.5 million Ukrainians has been living in Poland to study or work, he said. Many of the refugees who have arrived in Poland in recent days are counting on the help of relatives or acquaintances already living there. Most hoped they would be able to return to their home country after a few weeks, Rau said.