Nearly 100,000 Ukrainian refugees in Moldova - Interior Ministry

CHISINAU. April 19 (Interfax) - Over 95,000 refugees from Ukraine are staying in Moldova at the moment, the Moldovan Interior Ministry said.

"There are a total of 95,193 foreign citizens in Moldova, with more than half of them, 48,219, being minors. An overwhelming majority, 91,440 people, are citizens of Ukraine, but there are also citizens of other countries who have evacuated from Ukraine," the ministry said in a statement.

Since February 24, Moldova's borders have been crossed by 388,531 Ukrainian citizens, and 290,299 of them have left Moldova by now, including 247,717 who crossed into Romania, while 42,582 others have returned to Ukraine, it said.

The Moldovan Bureau for Migration and Asylum has received 6,466 applications for asylum.

Since mid-March, the flow of refugees from Ukraine to Moldova has declined, the situation at the border crossing points has normalized, and there are no lines, the Moldovan Border Service said.

The number of refugees staying in Moldova during this period varies between 90,000 and 100,000 people.