Europe's fastest growing refugee crisis: In 20 days, 2.8 million people have fled Ukraine
Categories: FOREIGN COUNTRIES
People fleeing what had been the relative safety of western Ukraine joined thousands crossing into eastern Europe on Monday after Russia attacked a Ukrainian base near the border with NATO-member Poland.Ukraine said 35 people were killed at the base on Sunday. Moscow said up to 180 "foreign mercenaries" died and a large number of foreign weapons were destroyed.The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24 climbed to more than 2.8 million, United Nations data showed on Monday, in what has become Europe's fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War Two. European Union officials have said 5 million may end up fleeing while others have put the figure higher.Millions of people have also been displaced inside Ukraine, with many evacuated only as far as the quieter western regions, including to cities like Lviv.Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told a news conference with his counterparts from Ukraine and Lithuania that the attack near its border showed Russia wanted to "create panic among the civilian population".Mira from Kyiv, travelling with her mother to Warsaw, said she had been surprised by the Russian attack near Lviv. "I just panicked and felt scared," she said. Battles continued around many of Ukraine's main cities, including the capital Kyiv. Ukraine said it would try to evacuate civilians through 10 humanitarian corridors on Monday.Ukraine said it had begun "hard" talks on a ceasefire, immediate withdrawal of troops and security guarantees with Russia on Monday.Both sides reported rare progress at the weekend after earlier rounds primarily focused on ceasefires to get aid to cities under siege by Russian forces and evacuate civilians. Those truces have frequently failed. Temporary beds and make-shift canteens have sprung up at convention centers and disused shopping malls around the region while volunteers work long hours handing out free hot drinks and SIM cards, or shuttling refugees further west.Some countries further away from Ukraine's borders, such as the Czech Republic, have also taken in tens of thousands of refugees, piling pressure on local authorities, while others, like Lithuania, have only just begun to receive significant numbers, with about 1,000 now arriving every day."Most of these are women with small children, some with only a handbag for luggage," said Kristina Meide, director of the Lithuanian Red Cross.