More than half a million Ukrainians have fled their country. Where are they going?

More than 500,000 people have left Ukraine after Russia sent its military troops to invade Ukraine, reported the United Nation’s High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on Monday.

“Displacement in Ukraine is also growing but the military situation makes it difficult to estimate numbers and provide aid,” he added.

More than 150,000 Ukrainian refugees have now crossed into neighbouring countries, half of them to Poland, and many to Hungary, Moldova, Romania and beyond.

Displacement in Ukraine is also growing but the military situation makes it difficult to estimate numbers and provide aid.

— Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) February 26, 2022

Thousands more are still trying to make their way to the border to escape the war. There are kilometers-long backlogs at neighboring borders where Ukrainians have to wait over 40 hours to flee into Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova, according to U.N. refugee agency spokesperson Chris Melzer.

1️⃣4️⃣ km backlog at the border crossing to Poland 🇵🇱
4️⃣0️⃣ hours waiting time
minus 2️⃣ degrees in the night
4️⃣5️⃣2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ #Refugees in just 15 hours in Poland alone
1️⃣ shared fate#Ukraine #UNHCR pic.twitter.com/kleggxQKyX

— Chris Melzer (@ChrisMelzer_NYC) February 26, 2022

Poland has accepted around 281,000 Ukrainians as of Monday, making it the country where most Ukrainians have fled to, the U.N. Refugee agency told NBC.

In second place comes Hungary, which has accepted around 94,000 refugees. In addition, around 40,000 have crossed into Moldova, Romania, and Slovakia each. Another 35,000 individuals have sought shelter in other European countries.

Most of these countries declared their borders open to Ukrainians fleeing the war, dropping requirements to show identification or Covid-19 tests.

On Sunday, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that his country was ready to accept “a large number of Ukrainians.”

"We will welcome those who need it. We see fear growing in Ukrainian society. We are prepared for tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of people who will arrive," Morawicki said.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said her country would open its border to those who have “humanitarian needs.” 

“We’re prepared to take care of them, and we’ll be able to rise to the challenge quickly and efficiently,” said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Serbia, Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina also said they would open their doors for Ukrainians.

Other countries, such as Ireland, are announced the immediate lifting of visa requirements for those fleeing Ukraine.

The number of Ukrainians fleeing their homeland is expected to increase in the coming days, according to the U.N.

"We are looking at ranges of 1-3 million into Poland for example ... A scenario of 1 to 5 million including all surrounding countries," UNICEF’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia, Afshan Khan, said.