<\/p>\n
Moscow unleashed the biggest wave of strikes across Ukraine in months in retaliation, earlier on Monday, for an explosion this weekend that damaged a key bridge linking Russia to the Crimean peninsula.<\/p>\n
The bridge is a symbol of the Kremlin\u2019s 2014 annexation of Crimea.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe horror of what happened in Ukraine today \u2026 is inexcusable,\u201d UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi told journalists in Geneva.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bombing of civilians, of houses \u2026 of non-military infrastructure in an indiscriminate manner in many cities across Ukraine, means the war is becoming harder and more difficult for civilians,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI fear that the events of these last hours will provoke more displacements.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, more than 7.6 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded across Europe.<\/p>\n
While a number of those people have since returned, more than 4.2 million Ukrainians have registered for temporary protection status in EU countries.<\/p>\n
Another nearly 7 million people have also been displaced within the conflict-torn country, according to the UN\u2019s International Organisation for Migration.<\/p>\n
Grandi said he expected to see people mainly flee within Ukraine following Monday\u2019s attacks, which Kyiv said left at least 14 dead and nearly 100 injured.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy prognosis \u2026 is that we will mainly see internal displacements,\u201d he said, speaking on the sidelines of the UNHCR\u2019s prestigious Nansen Award ceremony, which this year went to former German chancellor Angela Merkel.<\/p>\n
Grandi said the displacement situation in Ukraine at the moment was \u201cextremely fluid\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have people who flee for only a few hours, to escape the bombs \u2026and then try to return home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But in situations where the destruction is greater, and people can no longer access heat or food, \u201cI fear the displacements will last longer\u201d.<\/p>\n