MOSCOW, July 7 (RIA Novosti) – More than 18,600 refugees from Ukraine are staying in Russian temporary accommodation centers, spokesman of the Russian Emergencies Ministry Alexander Drobyshevsky said Monday.
“Today, 297 temporary accommodation centers are already in operation, they house 18,650 people. It’s by 100 people more than a day earlier,” he said.
Most refugees arrive in Russia’s southern Rostov Region and Crimea, from where the ministry’s aviation and vehicles transport them to other regions of the country.
“Thus, we have transported over seven thousand refugees,” the spokesman said.
The influx of refugees from the southeastern Ukraine increased dramatically in June amid continuing clashes between independence supporters and Kiev-led security forces.
According to the recent estimates by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) about 110,000 people have fled Ukraine to Russia since the beginning of the crisis.
