2 million refugees have fled Ukraine, UN says

GENEVA — The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine reaches 2 million, according to the United Nations, the fastest exodus Europe has seen since World War II.

“Today the outflow of refugees from Ukraine reaches two million people. Two million,” Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, writes on Twitter.

At a press conference earlier, Grandi said for comparison, the Balkan wars in Bosnia and Kosovo saw “maybe two to three million people, but over a period of eight years.”

While other parts of the “world have seen this,” Grandi added, “in Europe it’s the first time since the Second World War.”

In addition, an unknown number of people have been displaced within Ukraine’s borders.

The update comes as a new effort to evacuate civilians along safe corridors finally gets underway.