SEVASTOPOL, May 26. /ITAR-TASS/. First refugees, three mothers and three children, have arrived in the Russian city of Sevastopol from the besieged town of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine, chairman of the Sevastopol association of small and medium business Dmitry Golikov said on Monday.

“So far, they are in a shock condition and it is difficult to communicate with them. Immediately after they left Sloviansk, the town was surrounded (by the Ukrainian military). They traveled here using trains and buses,” Golikov said.

Crimean self-defense force members earlier requested Sevastopol entrepreneurs to accommodate the first refugees from Ukraine.

Golikov said the local entrepreneurs were ready to provide assistance to refugees both with money, personal belongings and medicines.

“Now we’re preparing a base. We would like to request the authorities to provide only premises and we will take care of all the rest,” the entrepreneur said.

The town of Sloviansk has been the scene of fierce fighting between the Ukrainian military that carries out a punitive combat operation in the east of the country and the local self-defense forces.