Refugees in Europe - 9th March 2022

War has forced more than 1.5 million people across Ukraine's borders. Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, calls this Europe's fastest growing emergency since World War II.

Many have left everything behind. They cross the border with only the clothes they stand in and a small bag. Among them is Anna, a teacher from Kyiv.

Anna Golovko: "I'm, I'm from Kyiv, Ukraine and we are going to Krakow, Poland. It takes three days to take this place."

Refugees are met in neighbouring countries by volunteers with food and clothing. There's also transport for them to continue their journeys to relatives and friends or other safe destinations. Across Europe, people have driven to the borders with offers of transportation and places to stay.

Ukraine is now under martial law, which means men from 18 to 60 have to stay and fight. The majority of refugees are therefore women, children and pensioners. However, Roma people, international students and migrant workers are also seeking refuge from the warzone.

In Ukraine, many thousands of homes have been destroyed. But there are no safe routes out of the cities which are being bombed by Russia's army. The UN announced that there could be up to four million refugees.

Although Russia agreed to humanitarian corridors to let people safely leave, these never materialised. Now, the only safe paths they've planned take refugees into Russia.

While many are escaping war, doctors and paramedics are crossing into Ukraine to help whoever they can.

Mike Hughes: "I'm going purely as a humanitarian to obviously assisting the wounded and hopefully, kind of, prevent some of the loss of life that's currently happening out there. I'm also going to go out there and try and train some of the civilians and some of the military in medical treatments and techniques that we use in the British services."