How Many Ukrainian Refugees Fled to Romania so Far

Almost 470,000 Ukrainian citizens fled to Romania as of March 18, after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

Precisely, 469,284 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania since the beginning of the conflict, of which more than 85,000 remained in Romania and 3.753 asked for asylum.

Only in the last 24 hours, 6,448 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania from the border with Ukraine, and 5,094 joined through the border with the Republic of Moldova.

On the other hand, the Romanian Defence Ministry, Vasile Dincu, stated that the Romanian authorities are prepared for a more significant wave of refugees from Ukraine, but the Ukrainian authorities cannot process enough.

We are in a state of vigilance. Apart from military training, defense resources, for the strengthening of the Eastern Flank, a new problem has appeared, that of the refugees, that we have to handle. This is a situation that directly affects us, it also affects the population in the area.

Vasile Dincu, Minister of National Defense 

Many Ukrainian refugees will remain on the Romanian territory because they cannot afford to travel to other countries. Romania registered 75% Ukrainian citizens that have transitioned from Romania to other EU countries.

Considering the last influx of Ukrainian refugees in Romania from the beginning of the crisis until March 18, more than 280,000 Ukrainians passing through the Romanian border already left.

Significant efforts to improve control and surveillance have been implemented at the land border, with more crews carrying out operations in areas of responsibility. Management is carried out in collaboration with other institutions responsible for this field to ensure an efficient interchange of data and information and the combined adoption of the appropriate actions for the management of any situations that may arise.

In a press conference held on March 16, Romanian President Klaus Johannis assured that Romania would not reject any war refugees from Ukraine, saying that helping the Ukrainians is “the minimum that Romania can do in this tragedy.”

However, the Ukrainian crisis is worrying, and the outcome of the Russian-Ukrainian war does not seem to be near the end. The situation in Ukraine could lead to the biggest refugee crisis in Europe in this century, with more than 600,000 people fleeing Ukraine.