Over 360,000 refugees from Ukraine arrive in Russia - Emergency Situations Ministry

MOSCOW. March 22 (Interfax) - Over 360,000 displaced persons from Ukraine have arrived in Russia, Russian Deputy Emergency Situations Minister Alexei Serko said at a Federation Council meeting addressing social policy.

"Over 360,000 people have arrived since February 18. About 22,000 of them stayed at temporary accommodation centers," he said.

The other refugees stayed with their relatives, he said.

About one-third of the refugees have already received support payments, Serko said.

About 16,000 refugees from Ukraine crossed the border on Monday. Most of the refugees coming to Russia from Ukraine are women with children, and elderly persons.

The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) authorities on February 18 arranged for the evacuation of locals to Russia.

The refugees are primarily taken in by the Rostov region, which has received 5 billion rubles from the federal budget to pay 10,000 rubles to each refugee coming from Donbas. There are about 300 temporary accommodation centers in the region, where the refugees can receive meals and medical attention.