MOSCOW, June 20 (RIA Novosti) – More than 10,000 refugees from Ukraine are currently accommodated in Russia’s Rostov Region, according to the regional government.
“In 48 municipal districts, 10,770 refugees have been accommodated, including 4,159 children,” said the regional emergency department.
There are currently 2,788 people at the temporary accommodation centers, the rest are staying with relatives and local residents. A state of emergency has been declared for 23 municipal districts in the region, and the emergency department is currently establishing additional temporary accommodation centers.
In June, Kiev’s military operation spurred a drastic increase in the number of refugees fleeing to Russia, particularly to the border region of Rostov. About 10,000 Ukrainian citizens enter Rostov Region daily; some of them are staying in the region, while others are travelling further to other destinations in Russia.
After his inauguration, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced the country’s intention to create a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from the combat zone in the country’s southeast, but there has been no follow-through yet.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he hoped Poroshenko would deliver on his promise. Moscow has been calling for an immediate stop to the military operation in the southeast of Ukraine, which has already led to multiple fatalities and injuries.
