Russia ready to receive Council of Europe mission to be taken to refugee camps

MOSCOW, August 25. /ITAR-TASS/. People displaced internally by the turmoil in Ukraine are facing major problems as some Ukrainian regions refuse to accept them, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.

“Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) also noted that the people displaced inside Ukraine are facing difficulties. In particular, children of refugees are denied places at local schools, and some settlements refuse to accept refugees,” the diplomat said. “How can one speak about national unity here?” he asked.

According to the United Nations, the number of internally displaced persons has grown by dozens of thousands over the past few days, reaching about 190,000.

Russia's Federal Migration Service says more than 730,000 have fled war-torn eastern Ukraine into Russia since the conflict began in mid-April, and 65,000 have appealed for temporary refuge. According to the Russian Civic Chamber, about a million refugees may be staying in Russia.

Moscow has recently voiced its readiness to receive a mission of the Council of Europe to review the position at refugee camps across Russia. A delegation of foreign journalists has visited the Ukraine-bordering Rostov region, which sees the biggest inflow of refugees.