Crimea Takes in About 12, 000 Refugees From Ukraine

SIMFEROPOL, July 1 (RIA Novosti) – Around 12,000 refugees arrived in Crimea from the south-east of Ukraine, swept by clashes between the Ukrainian army and local independence supporters, Zhan Krasutsky, a coordinator of Crimea’s unified center for refugees and humanitarian aid told RIA Novosti Tuesday.

“Officially the number of those registered [as refugees], is about 9,000 people and about 3, 000 have arrived in Crimea, but have not registered yet,” Krasutski said, stressing that the accommodation of refugees in the country involves over 50 recreational facilities and resorts, where people are given shelter, provided with humanitarian assistance, food, medication, clothing and other essentials.

Krasutsky stated that Crimea takes in a few hundred people daily, mostly women, children and the elderly.

“The record number was more than one thousand within a single day, we were horrified then and realized that the situation is extremely serious,” he said, explaining that not only the residents of south-eastern Ukraine, but also Kiev and the country’s west come to the refugee center in search of help.

At the same time, Krasutsky voiced fears that Crimea’s capacity for reception and accommodation of refugees is nearly exhausted, so people are resettled in other regions of Russia.

“Each day two planes fly out of Crimea with about 260 people onboard,” he concluded, mentioning Voronezh, Kursk, Lipetsk, Ivanovo, and Cherkessk among primary hubs to further resettle the refugees.

About 110,000 people have fled Ukraine to Russia since the beginning of the crisis, and more than 54,000 have been internally displaced, the chief spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), announced last week.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the government to take urgent measures to support the regions sheltering Ukrainian refugees, with Rostov Region facing the largest inflow.

Earlier this month, a delegation of the UNHCR office visited the Rostov Region and praised Russia’s contribution to accommodating refugees from Ukraine.