Passenger traffic across Ukraine's western border has grown

KYIV. April 20 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Passenger traffic across Ukraine's border with the European Union and Moldova increased 23.2% to 69,000 on Tuesday, April 19, as Easter celebrations wrapped up in Europe, and the number of people leaving Ukraine is again larger than the number of those entering the country, the Ukrainian State Border Service said.

Around 30,000 people, among them 29,000 Ukrainian citizens, entered Ukraine on Tuesday, as compared to some 26,000, including 23,000 Ukrainians, on Monday, the State Border Service said on social media.

Meanwhile, outbound traffic increased to almost 39,000 people on Tuesday from 30,000 the day before, with Poland still taking more than 60% of people who leave Ukraine.

The number of vehicles with humanitarian cargoes cleared for entry to Ukraine in the past day remained quite low - 330, as compared to 420-500 per day before the Easter holidays, it said.

Data released by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees as of 1:00 p.m. on April 18 show that 4.98 million people have left Ukraine since February 24. Of them, Poland has taken 2.78 million, Romania and Moldova 815,150, Russia 535,840, Hungary 465,600, Slovakia 339,680, and Belarus 23,610.