Second attempt to evacuate Mariupol – number of refugees is growing at the fastest rate since World War II

Dusseldorf In the Ukraine war, the city of Mariupol, besieged by Russia, tried again on Sunday to bring civilians to safety via a humanitarian corridor. According to Ukrainian accounts, people have been sitting there for days without electricity or heating, and there are said to be many dead and thousands injured. A cease-fire until 12 p.m. should allow the previously failed evacuation this time.

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency UNHCR reports that 1.5 million Ukrainians have fled. This makes it the “fastest growing refugee crisis since the Second World War”. The refugees arrive in many European countries. According to Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita, the small Republic of Moldova, neighboring Ukraine, has taken in more than 230,000 people, of whom more than 100,000 have stayed permanently. Moldova has only 2.6 million inhabitants.