MOSCOW, May 15. /TASS/. The Russian Red Cross Society (RRC) has provided aid to more than one million refugees from Ukraine, RRC President Pavel Savchuk said on Monday.
"The RRC has been involved in the assistance efforts from the very beginning. Since February 22, 2022, more than one million refugees and migrants from Ukraine and Donbass have received assistance from the RRC. The overall number of those who received help in 2022 and in the five months of 2023 has reached two million, i.e. nearly half of them are migrants due to the Ukrainian crisis," he said.
The RRC, in his words, has been introducing new types of assistance, such as pharmacy and commodity vouchers. "We have introduced a system of vouchers to a certain sum, which can be used to pay for clothes, food, or medicine. Last year, more than 93,000 people received such vouchers, 620,000 people received humanitarian and hygienic kits," he said.
According to Savchuk, nearly 92,000 people have received direct payments totalling 300 million rubles ($3.75 mln). "These allowances help those in need to improve their lives," he said, adding that the allowances range from 5,000 (some 63 US dollars) to 15,000 rubles depending on the family. Allowances are paid to the elderly, families with many children, single-parent families, people with disabilities, and other categories.
Apart from that, in his words, the RRC helps those refugees who want to return to their homes. "For instance, a group of refugees from the Tambov Region want to return to Mariupol. A lot of infrastructure and housing has been built in the city. People are returning there and we want to support them, provide them with transportation, meals, and water," he added.