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Almost 400,000 people arrived in Russia from Donbass and Ukraine — Minister

The geography of meetings and accommodation in other regions is expanding, Russian Acting Minister of Emergency Situations Alexander Chupriyan noted

ROSTOV-ON-DON, March 23. /TASS/. Almost 400,000 people have arrived in Russia from Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republic, as well as from Ukraine, Russian Acting Minister of Emergency Situations Alexander Chupriyan said during his working trip to the Rostov Region.

"More and more people cross the border. About 400,000 refugees are on our territory already. By the way, the geography of meetings and accommodation in other regions is expanding," Chupriyan said.

The situation at the contact line in Donbass escalated on February 17. DPR and LPR reported the most intense shelling by Ukrainian forces in months. On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the recognition of DPR and LPR sovereignty; the sides signed treaties of friendship and mutual aid.

On February 24, Putin announced that, in response to a request from the Donbass republics, he made a decision to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. He underscored that Moscow does not plan to occupy Ukrainian territories, instead planning to demilitarize and denazify the country.