Thousands of Ukrainians leaving the country

New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Thousands of Ukrainians are already on the move and leaving the country, with tens of thousands more preparing to flee, after the Russian attack ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Guardian reported.

Videos and photos on social media show lines of cars moving out of cities and heading west, as well as an increase of people on foot near the southern and western borders, the report said.

The United Nations refugee agency said on Thursday that the situation was quickly deteriorating after Russia's invasion. It appealed to neighbouring countries to keep their borders open to people seeking a safe haven.

"We have already seen reports of casualties and people starting to flee their homes to seek safety," said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, The Guardian reported.

At the Luzhanka border crossing with Hungary in western Ukraine, hundreds of cars waited in a queue snaking more than 2 kilometres back from the border on Thursday afternoon. People said they had been waiting over six hours in line to cross.

Others had come from other parts of Ukraine and planned to drive on to western Europe. "The people who have money are leaving," said one of the customs officials at the post. He said over 1,500 people had left through the crossing by 4 p.m. on Thursday, as opposed to just a few hundred on a normal day.