MOSCOW, March 17./TASS/. Almost 7,000 foreign nationals from 21 states are still held hostage by militants of Ukraine’s territorial defense battalions, Mikhail Mizintsev, chief of Russia’s National Defense Management Center, said on Thursday.

"As many as 6,894 citizens of 21 countries, as well as crews of 70 foreign ships blocked in Ukraine’s seaports, are still held hostage by militants of territorial defense battalions," he said.

Despite the difficulties and obstacles put up by the Ukrainian side, 12,230 people were evacuated from dangerous regions without the participation of Kiev in the past 24 hours, including 2,262 children. "Overall, these are already 283,461 people since the start of the operation, 60,684 of whom are children," Mizintsev added. He said that 32,965 personal vehicles have crossed the state border of Russia, including 1,943 vehicles crossing the border in the past 24 hours.