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Swiss Army Trains Some 2,000 Personnel to Deal With Expected Refugee Influx

© REUTERS / Ruben SprichAn assistant talks to a migrant in a Swiss Federal refugee center, set-up in a tank hall on the army base in Thun, Switzerland March 22, 2016
An assistant talks to a migrant in a Swiss Federal refugee center, set-up in a tank hall on the army base in Thun, Switzerland March 22, 2016 - Sputnik International
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Some 2,000 Swiss Army personnel are going through training to deal with a refugee influx expected this summer, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ukrainian mission's Chief Observer Flavien Schaller at the Russian Gukovo and Donetsk checkpoints said on Monday.

ROSTOV-ON-DON (Sputnik) — The number of refugees expected to arrive in Switzerland may come to some 80,000, he added, praising the Rostov regional government's efforts at accommodating Ukrainian refugees.

"Since Switzerland has no organizations like the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, all matters will be dealt with by the Swiss Army, which has mobilized some 2,000 personnel currently undergoing special training to deal with such a number of refugees," Schaller said, as quoted by a Rostov Region government statement.

Swiss Military - Sputnik International
Switzerland Prepares Army for Worst Case Migrant Scenario
The European Union is currently struggling to manage an enormous refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflict-torn countries in the Middle East and North Africa. More than 1.8 million migrants entered the European Union in 2015, according to the EU border agency Frontex.

Russia has also been facing an increasing influx of refugees, mainly from the conflict-torn neighboring Ukraine. Over 1.36 million Ukrainian citizens have applied for asylum in Russia since the start of the conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014, according to Russia's Federal Migration Service. The Rostov Region was the first to declare an emergency, with 30,000 Ukrainians arriving to the region daily since June 4, 2014.

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