Over 20,000 Ukrainian refugees in Russian temporary accommodation centers - official
MOSCOW. July 11 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian temporary accommodation centers have already taken in over 20,000 refugees from Ukraine, Russian Deputy Minister for Emergency Situations Vladimir Stepanov told journalists on Friday.
"Today temporary accommodation centers have over 20,000 Ukrainian refugees out of the almost half a million currently in Russia. More than 300 refugees were taken in by families of the emergency situations staff," Stepanov told a press conference titled "War in Ukraine: ways to exit the crisis."
The Emergency Situations Ministry is trying to limit refugees' stay at such temporary centers to three days, following which people are sent to various Russian regions assigned to take them in, Stepanov said.
"More than 4,000 people have recently been transported by aircraft alone; motorcades have delivered approximately the same number of people. Each day we deliver between 500 and 1,000 people," Stepanov said.
The biggest pressure to accept and accommodate Ukrainian refugees is on the Southern, North Caucasus and Central Federal Districts.
He said the ministry's aircraft have delivered 970 tonnes of humanitarian aid to the affected Ukrainian areas. The aid includes foodstuffs, medications, tents and essentials.
There are now more than 500,000 Ukrainian refugees in Russia, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said on June 26.