He claimed it was the largest exodus since World War II.
He said, “As of today, we’ve passed 1.5 million refugees and that in just 10 days, essentially from Ukraine to five neighboring countries.” “If I look back at the past decade, I can’t think of any faster exodus of Europeans since the Second World War.
Grandi stated that most of the Ukrainians are women and children, and that men between 18 and 60 must continue to protect the country from Russia.
They are traumatized and fearful above all. These are people who, until a few days back, had a normal life. Now, everything has been destroyed.” He said. “That trauma and anguish is what is most important at the moment.”
Grandi stated that “we need this to end because without the war ending, people will continue to pour out from the country.” “One-and-a half million is hard enough to manage, even for relatively stable and wealthy countries in Europe. But imagine if we can go higher and it will. If it doesn’t, it will.
Although the U.S. and European allies have offered humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, Grandi stated that more supplies are required in the country. However, money and relief supplies are essential for those who have fled.
He said that while European countries have the means and organization to support refugees, they will also need international support if there is a significant increase in people staying here.
Officials from Ukraine and Russia agreed to a temporary cease-fire in Mariupol, Ukraine’s port city. This was to allow civilians to flee the area over the weekend. Officials from Ukraine said that the attempt to evacuate civilians over the weekend was thwarted twice by Russian forces, who intensified their attack.
Grandi stated that the U.N., Red Cross and Red Cross are trying to get safe passage to the most affected areas, like Mariupol. However, they have not been able to obtain the required guarantees or respect for the ceasefire.
He said that “this is an extremely messy scenario, all over Ukraine,” and added that Russian forces were firing on civilians fleeing. “People are so afraid that they leave their homes.”
