MOSCOW, July 9 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's emergency ministry representatives met forced migrants from Ukraine, who came to Moscow from Crimea's Simferopol by plane, with honey-bread.
"The idea came about spontaneously. We left in the morning knowing the number of children. We bought them Tula honey-cakes so it wouldn't be boring, we tried to bring them joy," said a representative of the Tula Region emergency department.
Honey-bread has been made in Tula since the 17th century and is known as one of the traditional national desserts.
The small cakes were distributed among 129 people, including 51 children, who landed at Domodedovo airport Tuesday.
"They will be transferred to temporary settlements in Tula, Kaluga and Tver regions. The temporary settlements include various buildings, schools, care homes and clubs, equipped for temporary living arrangements for the citizens," said Andrei Kalgin, a Moscow Region emergency department representative.
The number of Ukrainian refugees that have fled to Russia exceeds 167,000, Russian Children’s Rights Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov said Tuesday.
The number may reach 300,000 by the end of this year, according to Russia’s Regional Development Ministry.
Some 350 shelters for Ukrainians have been set up across 54 Russian regions, according to Russia’s Federal Migration Service.
Refugees are also accommodated by Russian families, who provide their flats and houses and offer help to those fleeing the violence.
People from across the country are also collecting humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees. According to Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry, 600 tons of humanitarian aid has already been delivered.
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 regions declared independence from Ukraine in May. Hundreds of people, including civilians, have died in both regions over the past months.
Moscow has described the ongoing military action as a punitive operation and called for an immediate end to the bloodshed.
