MOSCOW, August 30, /ITAR-TASS/. Over 130,000 Ukrainians have applied for the refugee status of temporary asylum in Russia since the beginning of the conflict in southeastern Ukraine, the Federal Migration Service told ITAR-TASS on Saturday.
“Since April 1, 2014 about 820,000 Ukrainian citizens have arrived to stay in Russia. Since the beginning of the conflict, about 130,000 of them have applied to the migration service with requests for granting temporary asylum or the refugee status,” the FMS said.
More than 78,000 Ukrainian citizens have applied for temporary residence permits, over 33,000 for Russian citizenship, and over 22,000 for permanent residence.
More than 12,000 Ukrainian citizens said they wanted to settle in Russian in accordance with the state programme for resettlement of compatriots. Under the programme, the government provides support for former Soviet citizens who move from abroad to Russia.