Number of Ukraine refugees could grow to 1.5 million this weekend, UNHCR head says

[March 05, 2022]  PRAGUE (Reuters) - The situation in Ukraine remains dire and the number of refugees fleeing the Russian invasion couldl potentially rise to 1.5 million by the end of the weekend from a current 1.3 million, the head of the U.N. refugee agency said on Saturday.

People walk on a train platform as refugees flee Russia's invasion of Ukraine towards Poland, in the train station in Lviv, Ukraine March 5, 2022. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

"This is the fastest moving refugee crisis we have seen in Europe since the end of World War Two," UNHCR head Filippo Grandi told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Grandi also said most refugees at the moment were linking up with friends, family and other connections already living in Europe, but warned future waves would be more complex.

(Reporting by Michael Kahn and Jason Hovet; Editing by Frances Kerry)

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