Ukraine refugee numbers on rise leaving Donbass for Russia
June 12, – More than 5,000 Ukrainians have applied for refugee status this year, Konstantin Romodanovsky, head of Russia’s Federal Migration Service, FMS, said in an interview on Wednesday 811.06.2014) with daily “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” which is published by the government.
In May, the FMS estimated the total number of Ukrainian refugees amounted to more than 140,000. Most of them fled to Russian border regions, FMS said.
One can see how the Rostov region is graduallyturning into an area neighboring the combat zone. Thousands of refugees cross the border fleeing the territory of Donetsk People’s Republic. It becomes clear we face a serious disaster with grave consequences to follow.
On June 4, VassilyGolubev, the Rostov region governor, declared emergency in 15 border areas.According to regional authorities, 995 Ukrainians including 489 children, found refuge in the region as of June 6. The flow increased the following days. The recent report says 7335 Ukrainian citizens entered the Rostov region while 4272 left.
A local source informed that there were 2102 people, 930 children, given refuge in 15 municipal districts. About half of the refugees were given accommodated by local people while many of them are living in tents.
“It’s difficult to know the exact number,” Vladimir Sharichin from the Moscow Institute for GUS Studies told. “The problem is that there are no visa requirements between Russia and Ukraine,” he added. “Many don’t register themselves as refugees in Russia,” he said, adding that most just want to return home as soon as possible.
The Ukrainian authorities, however, consider those figures by their Russian counterparts to be hugely exaggerated. Most refugees from the eastern regions of Ukraine prefer to stay in their own country and live with relatives, Kyiv has said.
The United Nations also named a much lower figure at the end of May. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Geneva said a little over 10,000 Ukrainians had been displaced by the fighting.
Humanitarian corridor
In March, the first refugees within Ukraine were Crimean. After Russia’s annexation of the peninsula, many experienced hostility from ethnic Russians because of their pro-Ukrainian stance. According to Ukrainian media, thousands moved to the neighboring southern areas of Ukraine, to the capital Kyiv as well as to the western Ukrainian town of Lviv. A majority of the 300,000 Crimeans however don’t want to leave their homeland.
Most of the refugees in Ukraine today are people from the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk where pro-Russian separatists have declared “people’s republics.” Heavy fighting still continues in the area. The number of victims, including children, is on the rise. That prompted newly elected Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to order the creation of a humanitarian corridor for civilians in the warring region.
But Ukraine still hasn’t set up any camps for refugees. But on social networks such as Facebook, groups of volunteers are already pitching in with accommodation, transport and money.
But, it’s not enough, Kyiv activist Olexander Klyashtornyi told. “We just don’t have the capacity to cope with this flood of people,” he said, adding that the government in Kyiv had to step up and help the refugees.
Ukrainian refugees in Poland
The wave of refugees is now spilling over into the European Union. Since the beginning of the year, Poland has registered around 600 refugees from Ukraine. This week, authorities in Warsaw said there’s been a dramatic spike in refugees in recent weeks.
Germany has hardly received any refugees from Ukraine. But that could change. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said in May that he couldn’t rule out a rise in numbers.
Press journalist for HRO media – Norberto Lluch reports.
Category: European Crises
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