Ukrainian Refugees in Poland Hit 4,166,000

Polish authorities announced that the number of Ukrainian refugees who crossed the borders into Poland had reached 4,166,000 since the beginning of the military operations in Ukraine, media agencies reported on Sunday.

They added that 26,000 refugees crossed the borders yesterday. In addition, the majority of the refugees are Ukrainian, alongside groups from other nationalities.

On the other hand, 27,000 left the country and came back to Ukraine once again.

It is worth mentioning that, Poland passed a bill last March that provides a wide-ranging support package for Ukrainian refugees fleeing their country, under which they are granted legal residence in Poland and guaranteed the right to access education, health care, and social services.

The Russian-Ukrainian war has entered its third month as thousands of soldiers from both sides have been killed and millions have been displaced from the Ukrainian side since the start of Russian operations in Ukrainian territory on February 24.

Several countries have imposed significant economic sanctions on Moscow, while Russia has responded by imposing personal sanctions on a number of American and Canadian leaders.

Earlier, Pope Francis urged conflicting parties in Russia and Ukraine to stop blocking the wheat and food transportation that was applied on the ground since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Pope said: “Please do not use wheat, a staple food, as a weapon of war,” adding: “The blockade of grain exports from Ukraine, on which the lives of millions of people depend, especially in the poorest countries, is of great concern. I earnestly appeal for every effort to be made to resolve this issue and to guarantee the universal human right to food”.

Russia and Ukraine are the world’s largest wheat exporters so, at the beginning of the war, Russia closed the ports of Ukraine which threatened the developing countries’ food needs.