More than 20,094 Ukrainian refugees, of which 5,754 are children, have arrived in Greece since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, the Greek Citizen Protection Ministry has confirmed.
According to Ekathimerini, in the last 24 hours alone, 236 refugees crossed the border into Greece. There were 55 minors among them.
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This comes as Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, confirmed on Tuesday that Russia has finally begun its offensive to take control of eastern Ukraine.
“Now we can already state that the Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, for which they have been preparing for a long time,” Zelenskyy said in a video address.
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“No matter how many Russian troops are driven there, we will fight. We will defend ourselves. We will do it every day.”
The announcement from Zelenskyy came as Russia bombarded the western city of Lviv and numerous other targets across Ukraine in what appeared to be an intensified bid to grind down the country’s defences.
READ MORE: ‘Terrified of the war’: Expatriates, refugees reach Greece after escaping Ukraine.
Source: Ekathimerini and Nine News.