Over 5.5 million refugees entered Russia amid Ukraine conflict – TASS

More than 5.5 million people, including over 749,000 children, have entered Russia from the Donbass region and Ukraine since February 2022, TASS reported on Tuesday, citing a Russian government security source.

The figures are an increase on those reported by TASS in early November, when it reported over 4.7 million refugees, including almost 705,000 minors, had fled to Russia. By mid-March, that number had reached 5.4 million, the agency said.

According to the latest update, around 39,000 of those who have arrived in Russia remain housed at government-run shelters. The rest have found accommodation with relatives, managed their housing situation independently, or left the country.

The Russian government has temporarily stopped paying one-time benefits to refugees, having spent over $160 million on assistance, the source reported. In addition to cash and housing, Russia has provided free medical services to refugees who required them.

The EU’s statistics service, Eurostat, estimates that around 4 million refugees from Ukraine have received temporary protection in member states since the start of hostilities with Russia in late February 2022. Among them, Germany and Poland have received the biggest share, welcoming well over 900,000 people each.

The non-EU nation of Moldova is hosting between 88,000 and 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, according to national and international sources.