The United Nations Refugee Agency says 5 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion. Another 7 million people are displaced inside Ukraine. Russia has rejected a call from U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres for a four-day ceasefire. Guterres had called for the fighting to stop as Orthodox Christians in Russia and Ukraine prepare to mark Easter this Sunday.

Secretary-General António Guterres: “Instead of celebration of a new life, this Easter coincides with the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine. The intense concentration of forces and firepower makes this battle inevitably more violent, bloody and destructive. The onslaught and terrible toll on civilians we have seen so far could pale in comparison to the horror that lies ahead. This cannot be allowed to happen.”

This comes as Russian forces escalate shelling in eastern Ukraine in an attempt to capture the entire Donbas region. In the besieged southeastern city of Mariupol, Ukrainian forces and civilians remain holed up in a massive steel plant while Russia controls the rest of the city. Russia had set a deadline for all troops to lay down their arms, but the deadline passed with the Ukrainian forces remaining inside. Meanwhile, an agreement has been reached to allow women, children and elderly people to escape Mariupol though a humanitarian corridor.