Sunday, March 2, 2014

Russia Facing A Refugee Crisis As Up To 143,000 Ukrainians Have Requested Asylum In Just The Past Two Weeks (Update: 675,000 Have Fled In The Past Two Months)

People walk in front of unidentified armed men patroling near the Simferopol airport on February 28, 2014 (AFP Photo / Genya Savilov)

Up To 143,000 Ukrainians Requested Asylum In Russia In Two Weeks -- RT

Russian migration authorities report a huge spike in requests coming from Ukrainians to seek asylum in Russia, as some 143,000 people filed documents in just two weeks. Officials vow to process the requests in shortest possible time.

“Tragic events in Ukraine have caused a sharp spike in requests coming from this country seeking asylum in Russia,” said chief of citizenship desk Valentina Kazakova. “We monitor figures daily and they are far from comforting. Over the last two weeks of February, some 143,000 people applied.”

Kazakova said most requests come from the bordering areas and especially from Ukraine’s south.

“People are lost, scared and depressed,” she said. “There are many requests from law enforcement services, state officials as they are wary of possible lynching on behalf of radicalized armed groups.”

Read more ....

My Comment: All of these asylum seekers are Russian - Ukrainians .... and all of them are telling stories of threats and harassment from Ukrainian nationalists. My cousins children are now part of this wave .... her son is with his in-laws in Russia, and her daughter is in Florida with friends.

Update: Some 675,000 Ukrainians Fled to Russia Amid Crisis – Report -- RIA Novosti

5 comments:

James said...

Was that the daughter at the barricades?

War News Updates Editor said...

She is the one. My cousin's daughter had arrangements to go back to Florida anyway (she has a green card and is going through the process of getting a U.S. citizenship). My cousin and her husband are going to stick it out. They have too much at stake in Kiev. I asked them if they need my help .... their advice was to stay away.

D.Plowman said...

So the daughter that was making molotoves and passively fighting for Ukraine has left?

A turn-around or fearing the worse...

James said...

Bad business this is.

War News Updates Editor said...

Good question D. Plowman. We are peeved-off on what she did. But she is typical of most people .... they do things without appreciating the consequences.