1 Million Kids Have Fled Ukraine Since Russian Invasion Began, Says U.N.: 'Dark Historical First'

Ukrainian children.Photo: NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP via Getty

A million children have been forced to leave their homes in Ukraine amidRussia’s invasion of the country, according to the United Nations.

The organization’s UNICEF agency reports that 2 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded in late February and that half of those fleeing the violence are children.

UNICEF spokesman James Elder appeared on CNN Tuesday where he told host Wolf Blitzer, “We’ve never faced a refugee crisis at this speed and scale.”

Elder continued, “A million kids [became] refugees in under two weeks,” adding, “This is unprecedented, globally. It’s harrowing. It’s happening as we speak.”

The UNICEF official also shared a clip of his CNN interview onTwitter, where he described the scale of the exodus as “a dark historical first.”

The Russian invasion marks the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II.

U.N. officials have sought — sometimes unsuccessfully — to pause the fighting long enough to allow civilians trapped in conflict zones to leave safely via humanitarian corridors,The New York Timesreports.

Despite this, there have been ongoing reports of civilians, including children, killed in bombings and other apparent Russian attacks. Russia has repeatedly denied it targets civilian sites.

“Reliable and predictable ‘windows of silence’ and ‘safe passage’ are urgently needed to relocate people whose lives are at risk,” said Amin Awad, U.N. crisis coordinator for Ukraine, per theTimes.

The UNHCR estimates that as many as 4 million people could flee Ukraine amidst the conflict.

Ukrainian refugee children.Marcus Brandt/picture alliance via Getty

Russia’sattack on Ukrainecontinues. Russian forces first launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24.

With NATO forces massing in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also pledged aid or military support to the resistance. Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyycalled for peace talks while urging his country to fight back.

Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy vowed not to bend.

“Nobody is going to break us, we’re strong, we’re Ukrainians,“he told the European Unionin a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, “Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness.”

source: people.com