MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. Over 156,000 people, including up to 41,600 children, have been evacuated from dangerous zones in Ukraine during Russia’s special military operation, Head of Russia's National Defense Control Center Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev said at a meeting of the Inter-Agency Humanitarian Response Coordination Headquarters.

"Since the start of the special military operation, over 156,000 people have been evacuated from dangerous zones, including 41,596 children," Mizintsev stated adding that "6,613 people including 967 children were evacuated over the past 24 hours."

Mizintsev also stated that the Russian state border was crossed from the territory of Ukraine by 17,365 privately-owned vehicles, including 964 over the past 24 hours. Over 7,000 places of temporary accommodation are still operational on the territory of Russia, he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.

When clarifying the unfolding developments, the Russian Defense Ministry reassured that Russian troops are not targeting Ukrainian cities, but are limited to surgically striking and incapacitating Ukrainian military infrastructure. There are no threats whatsoever to the civilian population.