 Welcome to the Voice of America's Newswords. The United Nations says refugees are fleeing the Russian war in Ukraine by the millions. Exodus. Speaking from the Polish border with Ukraine, a UN representative said, most of the refugees are women and children. The UN said, it is the fastest exodus from a war-torn country that Europe has seen since World War II. An exodus is a situation in which many people escape from a hostile environment. An exodus also happens when a large group of people leaves a place at the same time after a gathering, such as a sports event.