By Thursday morning (March 3), more than a million Ukrainians and residents of the country had fled to neighboring countries since the start of Russia’s invasion.
Many families have been separated at the border, as Ukrainian males ages 17 to 60 are prohibited from leaving and are being urged to take up arms and fight as civilian soldiers. Others were forced to leave sick and frail elderly relatives behind, to be cared for by others.
As of Thursday, 352 Ukrainians were reported by Russia as having been killed in the war, including at least 14 children. Another 1,684 Ukrainians have been wounded, including 116 children.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service disputed the claim and estimated that more than 2,000 civilians have died thus far.
The United Nations’ human rights office said Thursday that it has recorded the deaths of 136 Ukrainian civilians, including 13 children, since the start of the invasion.
Russia’s Defense Ministry estimated 2,870 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed, with another 3,700 who were injured, according to spokesperson Igor Konashenkov. At least 572 Ukrainian soldiers have been taken captive by Russian forces, he said. On the Russian side, 498 Russian soldiers were killed in Ukraine, and another 1,597 sustained injuries in the fighting, he reported.
Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Thursday at the Cybertech Global TLV 2022 conference that the situation in Ukraine can get “much worse,” and will, if global leaders don’t step in.
“Things are looking bad on the ground right now, but it’s important to understand that if world leaders don’t act quickly, it can get much worse.
“I’m talking about untold loss of life, total destruction of Ukraine, millions of refugees and it’s not too late. It’s the responsibility of the major players in the world to act rapidly to get the two sides out of the battlefield and on to the negotiation table,” Bennett warned.
