Kiev/Warsaw, Mar 7 (IANS): Since Russia's war began 12 days ago, the number of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the country to neighbouring Poland has exceeded one million, the Polish Border Guard said.
"Today at 8 p.m. the number of people who fled from Ukraine to Poland exceeded one million. This is a million human tragedies, a million people banished from their homes by the war," the Border Guard said in a tweet late Sunday night.
"The million people after crossing the border, heard from Border Guard functinaries 'You are safe'," it added.
On Sunday, UN High High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said over 1.5 million people had fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries since Russia's military invasion began on February 24.
The EU has approved a mechanism Temporary Protection Directive to protect Ukrainian refugees without the normally required lengthy asylum procedures.