(TheUnited Nations has been planning its humanitarian needs on the assumption thatsome 4 million Ukrainian refugees would seek safety abroad)

Reuters

March11, 2022 5:32 PM

Morethan 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine, UN agencies said on Friday, and afurther 2 million have been driven from their homes within the country sincethe start of a Russian invasion on February 24.

TheUnited Nations has been planning its humanitarian needs on the assumption thatsome 4 million Ukrainian refugees would seek safety abroad.

However,with around 200,000 people having fled to neighbouring countries over the past24 hours, a UN refugee official said they may have to revise that figurehigher.

"Itis quite possible that planning figure of 4 million will be revised up. Thatwouldn't be a surprise," Matthew Saltmarsh, a spokesperson with the UNrefugee agency (UNHCR) near the border in Poland told Geneva journalists viavideolink.

Humanitarianagencies are scrambling to provide heating facilities for thousands of refugeeswaiting in freezing temperatures at border crossings, he said.

Meanwhile,trucks are taking thousands of thermal blankets and mattresses in the otherdirection.

Hundredsof thousands of people are trapped under heavy bombardment of cities and townsin Ukraine and are running out of supplies, with both sides blaming the otherfor failing to observe ceasefires.

Areport from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said onFriday that psychological support services were being provided online frombasements in Ukraine due to the security situation.