Over 200,000 Donbas refugees arrive in Russia - official

MOSCOW. March 10 (Interfax) - The number of people fleeing Donbas to Russia has topped 200,000, Acting Minister of Emergency Situations Alexander Chupriyan said on Thursday.

"[A total of] 213,152 people, including 48,788 children, have entered Russia through eight checkpoints, since the evacuation began [on February 18] in the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics," he said.

Most refugees are staying with relatives and friends.

Meanwhile, over 18,000 people, including over 9,000 children, have been placed at temporary accommodation centers in 30 Russian regions, of which Rostov and Voronezh regions have the most evacuees.