MOSCOW, March 22. /TASS/. More than 360,000 people have arrived in Russia from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), as well as from Ukraine since February 18, 2022, and 22,000 of them are in temporary accommodation facilities, Deputy Head of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations Alexey Serko said.
"Over 360,000 people have crossed the Russian border since February 18, 22,000 of them have been staying in temporary accommodation centers, others left for relatives, some went back," Serko noted.
"Over the last day, 16,000 people crossed the border, most of them are women with children or elderly people. Accordingly, some do not have any documents, so it’s necessary to check a person’s identity," he added.
On February 18, the heads of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin, announced the evacuation of the republics’ residents to Russia, in particular to the Rostov Region, due to the growing threat of hostilities. On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the sovereignty of the DPR and LPR. Subsequent treaties on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance were signed with the republics’ leaders.