Over 650,000 Donbas refugees cross into Rostov region since mid-February - authorities

ROSTOV-ON-DON. April 15 (Interfax) - Russia's Rostov region has taken in over 650,000 refugees since the beginning of evacuation from Donbas, Rostov Region Deputy Minister of Regional Policy and Mass Communications Sergei Tyurin told Interfax.

"Over 650,000 persons have arrived to date," Tyurin said on Friday.

The regional border department of the Federal Security Service said earlier that more than 70,000 persons arrived in Russia through checkpoints in the Rostov region since the beginning of this week.

The authorities of the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics began to evacuate women, children and senior citizens to Russia on February 18. The refugees are taken in by the Rostov region and redirected to other regions of Russia.