MOSCOW, July 22 (RIA Novosti) – More than 38,000 Ukrainians are seeking refugee status in Russia, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday.
“Over 38,000 Ukrainian nationals have already applied for refuge [in Russia]. Considering the circumstances, the government has increased temporary residence quotas for foreign citizens staying in federal subject by a total of 51,000. This [measure] will help accommodate more Ukrainian citizens,” Medvedev said at an urgent meeting on the refugee situation.
He added the application scrutiny period had also been lowered to three days, down from three months.
The influx of Ukrainian refugees to Russia, in particular to the bordering Rostov Region, has hiked since June as the conflict in eastern Ukraine spiraled out of control.
Speaking at the meeting with Medvedev, Rostov Region Governor Vasily Golubyev said the territory received about 2,000 Ukrainian refugees every day.
“Since an emergency situation was declared on June 4 of this year, more than 220,000 people [from Ukraine] have crossed the border and settled down in Rostov Region … According to our monitors, this number swells by up to 2,000 people daily,” Golubyev reported.
Medvedev also cited the estimates of Russia’s Federal Migration Service (FMS) who said some 144,000 Ukrainians had applied for this or that status that is not related to work.
Earlier on Tuesday, Human Rights Watch criticized Ukrainian authorities for doing not enough to tackle the issue of internally displaced people in the country, with HRW director for Europe and Central Asia, Hugh Williamson, urging Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to step up efforts and provide essential aid to those in need.
