Emergency Situations Ministry representative Alexander Drobyshevsky said that the Russian authorities opened seven temporary accommodation settlements for Ukrainian refugees on the territory of the Russian Federation.
"Currently, there are already 297 settlements for refugees, in which there are 18,650 people staying," RIA Novosti quoted Drobyshevsky as saying.
Refugees flee to Russia's Rostov region and the Crimea, from where they are transported to other regions of Russia's South, North-Caucases and Central Federal District.
"More than 7,000 refugees have been transported already," Drobyshevsky said. The flow of refugees from the south-east of Ukraine to Russia has increased dramatically since June against the backdrop of combat clashes in Donbass. More than 40 Russian regions provide assistance to Ukrainian refugees.