Fighting in southeast Ukraine has driven over half a million people from their homes

(VOVworld) - Fighting in southeast Ukraine has driven over half a million people from their homes, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said Tuesday. The latest figures by the UNHCR show that in the past three weeks alone, the number of people displaced in Ukraine has doubled to at least 260,000. Meanwhile Moscow has reported that 260,000 Ukrainians have sought asylum in Russia and may move to other neighboring countries including Belarus, Poland, and Estonia. More than 2,600 people have been reported dead in clashes. UN refugee chief Antonio Guterres warned of dire consequences if the crisis in eastern Ukraine continues. The Ukrainian government has opened humanitarian corridors so people may leave the war zone. According to estimates by the UN, about 2.2 million people are still trapped in war zones in southeastern Ukraine.