FMS: Over 255,000 compatriots move to Russia since 2007, including 50,000 from Ukraine in 2014
MOSCOW. Jan 20 (Interfax) - Over 255,000 compatriots have moved to Russia under the state-administered resettlement program and last year's surge resulted from an inflow of refugees from southeastern Ukraine, a source in the Federal Migration Service (FMS) told Interfax on Tuesday.
"The program was launched in 2007. More than 255,000 persons have used the opportunity provided by it since then," the FMS source said.
Over 106,000 persons moved to Russia under the program last year, according to the FMS. "The number of re-settlers exceeded twice the expected amount. As of now, 55 regions of the country are ready to accommodate people who move here. The growth was linked to the active use of state program mechanisms for assisting 50,000 compatriots arriving on mass scale from Ukraine," the source noted.
"Almost three times more people moved to Russia under the state program in 2014 than they did in 2014. Most compatriots came from Ukraine, as well as from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Moldova," FMS press secretary Zalina Kornilova told Interfax on Tuesday.