A total of 5.3 million citizens from Ukraine had fled the war, reaching other European Union countries since February 24, when Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Such figures have been provided through the recent report of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
According to Frontex, the number of displaced people who have entered the EU countries, also taking into account non-Ukraine citizens, is 7 million.
In addition, the same source shows that in recent weeks, more people have been returning to Ukraine than exiting the country, stressing that between May 25 and 31, nearly 260,000 Ukrainians fled the European Union countries. As of 2.3 million Ukrainians have returned to their home country since February 24.
“As of May 23, the number of internally displaced people in Ukraine has decreased for the first time, according to IOM observations. The total number is now estimated to be 7.1 million, representing a decrease of 11 per cent since May 3,” the report provided by Frontex reads.
Two of the European countries that have received the highest number of arrivals are Poland and Romania, with 147,00 and 32,800 Ukrainian refugees respectively crossing their borders for a period from May 25 until May 31.
According to Frontex, border traffic remains stable while no major border congestion exists. Besides, there are about 144 trucks with humanitarian aid entering the Eastern European country every day.
“Frontex continues to monitor refugee flows to facilitate border crossings and support evacuation corridors. We have deployed 477 officers and staff all along the EU’s eastern land border, including 340 to countries bordering Ukraine, to support national authorities with border control,” the statement published by the agency reads.
Previously, the agency announced that since the war started, more than 6.3 million refugees reached European Union countries from Ukraine as well as Moldova.
Through a statement published on May 19, Frontex announced that the most affected border section continues to be Romanian and Polish.
The recent analysis of the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) revealed that about 3 million citizens from Ukraine registered for the Temporary Protection status in EU countries since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In addition, the same source reveals that about 82,900 asylum applications were filed in EU countries in March 20222, marking the highest increase since the 2015-2016 refugee crisis.
SOURCE: Schengen Visa Info
