The war launched by Russia against Ukraine has triggered one of the fastest growing refugee emergencies in the history of UN observations: the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ukraine could reach 6.7 million, up from 854,000 before start of the war.

The Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) predicts that a military offensive could displace up to 6.7 million people within Ukraine, 4.3 million of whom will need life-saving humanitarian assistance, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Wednesday.

According to it, prior to the Russian invasion, Ukrainian authorities registered 1.46 million IDPs, of which 854,000 lived in government-controlled areas, in addition to 1.7 million affected by the conflict. Most of them were displaced after the outbreak of hostilities in southeastern Ukraine in 2014.

The office adds that there were also 35,000 stateless persons and 5,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Ukraine, mostly from Afghanistan, whose need for OHCHR assistance is expected to become even more acute as the situation develops.

According to the organization’s estimates, in addition to 6.7 million IDPs, there will also be about 4 million refugees from Ukraine, while before the war there were only 53,000.

In line with an initial request for $270 million in financial support, OHCHR intends to assist 2.1 million IDPs over an initial three-month period (March-May this year).

In addition, the agency has requested $240 million in funding to help 2.4 million refugees in the first six months, which will be distributed to their host countries.

In general, the UN estimates the financial needs for an urgent response to the situation in Ukraine (United Nations Emergency Appeal for the Ukraine Situation) at $1.7 billion, of which $1.1 billion for Ukraine and $550.6 million for countries that have accepted refugees.

OHCHR is calling on the donor community to support people in dire need in Ukraine and neighboring countries at this critical time.