Russian authorities guaranteeing security to all refugees from zone of fighting

BLAGODARNY, June 28, 18:15 /ITAR-TASS/. Russian authorities guarantee security to all the citizens of Ukraine who have fled the zone of combat operations in the country’s eastern regions, the Russian President’s plenipotentiary representative in the North Caucasian Federal District, Sergei Melikov, said Saturday at a meeting with refugees in the town of Blagodarny, the Stavropol territory.

“Police patrols have been placed to the provisional accommodation facilities and patrols have also been reinforced in the towns and villages where there refugee camps are located,” Melikov said.

He added that operative efforts were being taken “to prevent and avert the possible destructive actions against the Ukrainian refugees”, adding that “we’re working actively enough in this sphere.”

Refugees delegated by all the five provisional accommodation centers set up in the Stavropol territory attended the meeting at Blagodarny. They said the authorities were taking maximum possible account of the individual needs and wishes of the Ukrainian citizens who had fled the zone of armed fighting.

The people whose relative were just about to head for Russia were expected to report on their whereabouts after crossing the border.

“Quite naturally, we find it more convenient to receive whole families rather than to engage in relocations,” Melikov said.

He also said the authorities would take account of the willing of one or another refugee to move to regions with a more suitable climate.

“We’re getting the tidal wave of resettling persons now but as soon as the situation stabilizes we’ll consider that opportunity,” Melikov said.

More than 3,000 refugees have arrived in the Stavropol territory since the beginning of the year from the war-torn Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine where the Ukrainian Armed forces, units of the ‘national guard’ and squads of the Right Sector ultra-rightwing nationalists are conducting a dragged-out punitive operation against the people demanding federalization of the country and greater rights for the native speakers of the Russian language.