YAROSLAVL, June 20, /ITAR-TASS/. The Russian city of Yaroslavl, 250 kilometers to the north-east of Moscow, has raised 12 tonnes of humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees who fled from the war-torn eastern regions of Ukraine into the southern Russian Rostov Region, a lawmaker from the Yaroslavl Region in the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia’s parliament, told ITAR-TASS on Friday.

“We called on Yaroslavl dwellers to help collect a humanitarian cargo for temporary accommodation centres put up by the Emergencies Ministry and receiving refugees from Ukraine,” Anatoly Lisitsyn said.

“In two weeks, the region’s residents have brought a total of 12 tonnes of aid, even without the local authorities’ involvement,” he said adding that foodstuffs, infant food, medications and other necessary goods had been already sent to the Rostov Region.

The charity action was organised by local veterans of special rapid response police units (SOBR), the Anatoly Lisitsyn Foundation, the regional branch of the Association of Heroes of Russia, and the Airborne Troops - Brothers-in-Arms Foundation of Veterans.