MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/. Almost a million people have fled the war zone since a military conflict began in the east of Ukraine, Chief of the Federal Migration Service (FMS) Konstatin Romodanovsky told TASS on Wednesday.
He put the number of the people from the south-east of Ukraine, who had rushed to Russia in a bid to flee the war zone, at 940,000, including 300,000 who asked for temporary asylum, and 170,000 who were given residence permits in Russia.
"All of them are eager to join a state program for resettlement of compatriots; around 60,000 ethnic Ukrainians have already joined," Romodanovsky said. Around 480 temporary accommodation centers are available for Ukrainian citizens in Russia now, and many Ukrainian citizens have been staying at their relatives' in Russia. We are able to ensure support to such a number of refugees; we have been remitting money, provided by the state, to regions where the refugees are staying," the FMS chief said.
Last year Russia's financial support to the victims of the Ukrainian conflict exceeded the UN assistance to Ukraine fivefold, Romodanovsky said.