UN says 5m refugees have now been created by Russia’s war in Ukraine
The United Nations has said more than five million people have now fled the war in Ukraine.
The number escaping Russia’s war in the country is creating the biggest refugee crisis since the end of the second world war, with neighbouring countries such as Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania bearing the primary burden.
The UN’s refugee agency released data today, with Jakub Andrle, Migration Program Coordinator at People in Need, a Prague-based aid group operating in Ukraine, telling Reuters it was “unprecedented”.
The UK has been criticised for not taking in enough Ukrainian refugees, and for the process of applications being too complicated and inefficient.
According to the Home Office, the total number of visa applications received sits at 94,700, with 39,100 through the Ukraine Family Scheme and 55,600 with the Sponsorship Scheme.
It said 16,400 visa holders have arrived in the UK through the two schemes.