MOSCOW, July 29 (RIA Novosti) – More than 48,000 Ukrainian citizens have already applied for refugee status in Russia, the Russian Emergencies Ministry press office said Tuesday.
“To date … over 48,000 Ukrainian citizens have asked for temporary accommodation and refugee status, over 27,000 [refugees] have applied for Russian citizenship,” the ministry reported.
Earlier on Tuesday, Russia's children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov reported that more than 230,000 Ukrainians have been granted refugee status in Russia.
The refugee inflow to Russia has grown tremendously since June, as the clashes between pro-Kiev forces and independence supporters continue in eastern Ukraine.
More than 500,000 Ukrainian refugees have entered Russia since April, the Russian Federal Migration Service reported. According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, most of them are staying with their friends and relatives.
According to the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, more than 1,100 people have been killed in the Kiev's military operation in eastern regions of Ukraine since mid-April and more than 100,000 others have fled the conflict zone.
