MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) - Ukrainian refugees seeking shelter in Russian temporary accommodation centers have now exceeded 17, 000 people, a spokesman for the Russian Emergencies Ministry Alexander Drobyshevskiy said Monday.
"Currently, 245 temporary accommodation centers are home to 17,010 people, including 7,239 children. Additionally seven mobile temporary accommodation facilities have been established with a total capacity of 3,500 people," Drobyshevskiy said, stressing that the refugees from the south-eastern regions of Ukraine are provided with all the necessary basics.
According to Russian Children’s Rights Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov, 290 people, including 116 children, have been sent from the Rostov region of Russia bordering with Ukraine to other parts of Russia over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 3049 people. The refugees are traveling further to Tula, Stavropol, Volgograd and other recepient hubs throughout the country. A total of 44 regions across Russia currently shelter Ukrainian refugees, according to Astakhov.
The flow of refugees from south-eastern regions of Ukraine increased dramatically in June in light of continuing military operation led by Kiev's special forces against independence supporters in the east. Russia has set up air passages for the evacuation of refugees from the border regions.
Since mid-April, Kiev authorities have been conducting a special military operation in the east of Ukraine to suppress the independence movement. The violence intensified after the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics declared independence from Ukraine in May.
