NEW DELHI: More than 6,00,000 people have fled Ukraine in under a week, since Russia’s military offensive began, UN humanitarians said, as they issued an appeal to protect civilians from further bloodshed.

Highlighting concerns that hospitals, health workers and sick people have been targeted in the Russian “offensive”, the World Health Organization (WHO) insisted on the sanctity of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

"We are concerned about reports on attacks on health. We have received several unconfirmed reports of attacks on hospitals and health infrastructure, but only the attack on 24 February has been verified,” said Christian Lindmeier, WHO spokesperson.

Since the start of the hostilities on 24 February and midnight on 1 March, the UN rights office, OHCHR, has confirmed 536 civilian casualties across Ukraine, including 136 civilians killed, of whom 13 were children.

“We know that children have been killed, we know that thousands and thousands are at risk, and we know that more children, gut wrenchingly, are going to die or be injured in this unless fighting ends,” said UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder.

Speaking over his mobile phone from western Ukraine, where an exodus of families, students and migrants have been making their way westwards towards Poland, among other neighbouring countries, Elder said that the military escalation that has been reported across several Ukrainian cities would result in more children being separated from their families. “We’re going to see more fathers handing children across to border guards in Poland,” he added.

Needs remain high within Ukraine, in areas most affected by the violence, Elder insisted, as widely relayed images showed what appeared to be a Russian military convoy approaching Kiev, stretching back some 60 kilometres.

“The essential aim is to expand that support across Ukraine, we need that support now because the conflict (has) got out of the east, we need that to be across the other major cities,” said Elder.

Echoing that message, IOM spokesperson Safa Msehli, noted that there were also an estimated “4,70,000 third-country nationals in Ukraine”, including a large number of overseas students and migrants working in the country.

Many remain stranded inside Ukraine, although at least 6,000 third-country nationals have arrived in Moldova and Slovakia alone, she said.

She noted that several States had requested the UN agency’s assistance to help with the return of their citizens to Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

“More than 50 Tunisian nationals who crossed into Moldova are being assisted by IOM to relocate to Romania before they return home through a charter flight, in coordination with relevant authorities,” Msehli added.

Since the start of the hostilities on February 24, the UN rights office, OHCHR, has confirmed 536 civilian casualties across Ukraine, including 136 civilians killed, including 13 children.