MOSCOW, April 30 (RIA Novosti) – More than 2,200 Ukrainian citizens have applied for asylum in Russia since the beginning of the year, a dramatic increase over last year, the Russian Federal Migration Service (FMS) said Wednesday.
“Since early 2014, Russia received 2,266 asylum applications from Ukrainian citizens,” the service said in a statement, adding that last year just five Ukrainians applied for asylum.
FMS Director Konstantin Romodanovsky said Tuesday that the signs of a looming humanitarian disaster in Ukraine were growing and the situation was alarming.
After the political crisis erupted in Kiev, Ukraine became the single greatest source of asylum seekers in Russia, which recently relaxed citizenship requirements for Russian speakers in the former Soviet Union.
Ukraine has been swept by unrest since last November when the so-called Maidan mass rallies began in Kiev. The country underwent a regime change resembling a military coup in late February, leading to the ouster of the legitimate president, Viktor Yanukovych.
Eastern regions of the country have refused to acknowledge Kiev’s new authorities and continue to protest, calling for federalization and referendums on greater autonomy.
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