Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia and Romania are so far the main recipients and in a few days that figure reached a third of those who left the country since 2014 after the coup against the then president Viktor Yanukovych.

The exodus happens despite the Kremlin reiterating that the presence of its troops in the neighboring nation is not directed against Ukrainian cities nor endangers the civilian population, but seeks to disable the war infrastructure. However, several European nations, aligned with the Western stance, rushed to evacuate their diplomatic headquarters in Kiev and increased military troops in the area.

The UN office headed by Grandi and the Ukrainian government estimate that five million people, almost a tenth of the national population, could leave the country during the conflict.

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