Russia prepares for influx of Ukrainian refugees fleeing war
In the past 24 hours, more than 13,000 Ukrainians have crossed Russian border
MOSCOW, June 16./ITAR-TASS/. Russian regions are getting ready for a growing flow of refugees from the southeast of Ukraine engulfed in a civil war.
In the past 24 hours, more than 13,000 Ukrainians have crossed alone into the Russian Rostov region bordering on Ukraine. Earlier the region saw an average of 400 to 500 refugees a day. According to the regional government, more than 122,000 refugees have arrived in that southern region over the past month, and 70,000 of them have stayed in Russia.
All in all, 5,316 people have been accommodated in the region, Russian Ombudsman for Children Pavel Astakhov reports, adding that the region has raised more than 43 tons of humanitarian aid.
According to the press service of the Volgograd region government, 106 people, including 58 children, have arrived in that region in the south of European Russia from the eastern Ukrainian Luhansk region. They have been accommodated in comfortable rooms of a local holiday camp.
Ninety-three Ukrainians have arrived in the Kursk region bordering in the southwest with Ukraine to apply for a refugee status. Temporary accommodation centers have been opened in 15 municipalities of the region. According to the press service of the Kursk region committee for civil defense and emergency situations, they can provide shelter for around 2,000 people, but at the moment only 36 Ukrainian nationals live there.
St. Petersburg has received about 50 refugees from southeastern Ukraine, co-chairman of a healthcare workers’ trade union, Igor Malakhov, told ITAR-TASS.
The Pskov region in northwestern Russia gathers humanitarian aid for 40 children from the Ukrainian city of Makeyevka, who arrived there on Sunday at the invitation of Acting Governor Andrei Turchak. “The children arrived with minimum luggage. They said they had to change three buses which were shelled on their way, and part of the luggage was lost. Now they need personal hygiene products, warm clothing and footwear,” Stanislav Mishakof from the non-governmental organization Semya (Family) told ITAR-TASS.