03.11 UN Geneva Office Head Urges States to Help Ukrainian Refugees as Winter Approaches

GENEVA, November 3 (RIA Novosti) – Refugees from the southeast of Ukraine are in need of help as winter approaches and there are countries that can afford to provide assistance to those who have fled the military conflict, the head of the United Nations Office in Geneva Michael Moller told RIA Novosti Monday.

"Winter is coming. You have a lot of refugees in Russia, there are a lot of internally displaced in Ukraine, there are probably going to be refugees in Poland and in other places in Europe. These people are going to need help in a situation where the world is up to here… and where individual countries that can afford to help are at the breaking point of their ability to both pay and accept [the refugees]," Moller said.

Moller also stressed the necessity of finding a political and peaceful solution to the Ukrainian crisis.

Earlier on Monday, the Russian government approved a bill allocating 1,466 million rubles (almost $34 million) for social and medical assistance to Ukrainian refugees in Russia.

National budgetary institutions supervised by the Health Ministry and the Federal Medical-Biological Agency( FMBA), as well as medical organizations supervised by local governments, will offer free primary medical and sanitary services, as well as specialized emergency medical services under the new bill.

The military operation, launched by Kiev authorities in mid-April to suppress independence supporters in the southeast of Ukraine, caused thousands of people flee their homes.

The refugee inflow to Russia grew tremendously in June, when clashes between pro-Kiev forces and independence supporters intensified.

As of today, some 225,000 Ukrainian citizens have applied for asylum in Russia. According to Russia's Federal Migration Service, the total number of Ukrainian nationals in Russia stands at 2.6 million.