Ukraine: Number of refugees reaches 4 million

A refugee from Ukraine hugs her son in a reception centre set up in the sports hall of a school in the Polish border town of Medyka.
A refugee from Ukraine hugs her son in a reception centre set up in the sports hall of a school in the Polish border town of Medyka. © UNHCR/Valerio Muscella

More than four million Ukrainians have now fled the country to escape the invasion of Russia.  UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, says 4,019,287 Ukrainians had fled across the country’s borders since the February 24 invasion. More than 2.3 million have sought refuge in Poland. 

 6.5 million peoplear are believed to be displaced inside Ukraine. Across the country, the UN and our partners have managed to reach up to 900,000 vulnerable people with lifesaving aid since 24 February.

A United Nations relief convoy led by the Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Osnat Lubrani, has made its way into hard-battered Kharkiv in northern Ukraine and safely delivered food rations, medical supplies and household items for thousands of people.

The supplies will now be distributed by the Ukrainian Red Cross to the most vulnerable communities in the city and its suburbs.

The funding of the Ukraine Flash appeal ($1.1 billion) has reached 44 per cent – or US$505 million.

#Football4Ukraine

Six internationally renowned football players have come together to appeal for urgent donations to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the World Food Programme (WFP).

The hashtag of the global appeal is #Football4Ukraine.

To mark the start of the appeal, players from across the Premier League and Bundesliga appear in a social media film calling for support.

The three players with a refugee background are: UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and FC Bayern Munich sensation, Alphonso Davies, Mahmoud Dahoud (Borussia Dortmund) – the first Syrian refugee to play in the Bundesliga, and Everton FC goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. They are joined by Manchester City right-back and FIFA Women’s Player of 2020, Lucy Bronze, Olympique Lyonnais’ Ada Hegerberg – the first woman recipient of the Ballon d’Or, and Manchester United’s Juan Mata, a World Cup winner with Spain.

The players are calling on fans – wherever they are and whatever club they support – to stand together as one team and support people driven from their homes by the war in Ukraine, including by donating to the appeal.