The majority appear to have fled to Poland.
Nearly 120,000 people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded the country on Thursday, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The figures come as almost 200 Ukrainians, including three children, have been killed due to “Russian aggression”, according to Ukraine’s Health Minister.
The death toll of at least 198, reported by Health Minister Viktor Lyashko on Facebook, came as the battle reached the streets of Kyiv.
Residents were told to seek shelter and avoid going near windows or on balconies with Russian troops trying to claim the capital.
The UNHCR said in a statement on Twitter that it will soon be launching a portal with current displacement estimates.
It then said its latest update is that almost 116,000 have fled from Ukraine to neighbouring countries since Thursday, such as Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia and Romania, and that “numbers are rising”.
Ukraine: UNHCR will soon be launching a portal with current displacement estimates.⁰Latest update is that almost 116,000 have fled to neighbouring countries since 24 Feb – mainly Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia and Romania. ⁰Numbers are rising.
— UNHCR News (@RefugeesMedia) February 26, 2022
The majority appear to have fled to Poland, with the country’s Deputy Interior Minister Pawel Szefernaker telling reporters that 100,000 people have crossed the border from Ukraine into Poland since the invasion.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has turned down requests from the US Government to evacuate Kyiv, according to reports.
The Associated Press said that the US Government urged the Ukrainian leader to leave the capital after it came under attack by Russia but Zelensky refused, instead urging supporters to send weapons in order to help fight back.
“The fight is here. I need ammunition, not a ride,” the President stated, according to a US Government Intelligence Official quoted by the news agency.
“Good morning everybody. Do not believe fake news. I am here,” said Zelensky in a video posted to Twitter early on Saturday.
“We will not lay down our weapons. We will defend our country.
“Our weapons are our strength. This is our land. Our country. Our children.
“We will protect all of them.”
In the video, Zelensky can be seen standing in front of the House with Chimaeras building opposite the President’s office.
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