Russian authorities have raised the official figure of Ukrainian »refugees» in Russia since the start of the military offensive more than a year ago to 5.5 million, including some 750,000 children, amid accusations by Ukraine of possible forced population transfers.
The launch of the invasion on February 24, 2022 unleashed an unprecedented exodus in Ukraine, although data regarding possible crossings into Russia has always been a matter of debate. The UN lacks verified data and maintains the official figure for Russia at 2.8 million based on data going back to October.
A spokesman for the security services told the TASS news agency that »slightly more than 5.5 million» people have already arrived in Russia. Most of them live with relatives or have found their own accommodation, although some 39,000 people, including more than 11,000 children, remain in shelters, according to Moscow.
Russian authorities have also confirmed the suspension of the cash aid it initially announced for the refugees: a one-off payment of 10,000 rubles (just over 120 euros at current exchange rates). This aid, announced in August by President Vladimir Putin, would have involved the disbursement of 12.3 billion rubles (about 148.2 million euros).
Russia’s role in the alleged assistance to the Ukrainian population affected by the conflict has been the subject of debate during the last year, since the Ukrainian authorities have denounced that it is not a question of voluntary departures of the population but of forced relocations, especially worrying in the case of minors.
In fact, the International Criminal Court (ICC) this month issued an arrest warrant for Putin and Russia’s top advisor on child protection issues, Maria Alekseievna Lvova-Belova, precisely because of the alleged deportation of Ukrainian children.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
