Number of internally displaced persons in Ukraine exceeded half a million

Baku. 6 December . REPORT.AZ/ The number of internally displaced persons in Ukraine has exceeded half a million people. Report informs this was stated in the Office of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Most immigrants live in Kharkov and in the territories under the control of the Ukrainian authorities, in Donetsk and Lugansk regions. In UNHCR expressed concern that the government's decision on transfer the state institutions on the territory controlled by the Kiev provoke new waves of immigrants.

According to official data of the State Service of Ukraine for Emergencies, at the beginning of December, 514 thousand people had to flee the conflict. "Many residents of the country seek international protection, - said spokesman William Spindler UNHCR. -Thus, about 233 thousand Ukrainians appealed to the Russian authorities to have grant refugee status or asylum".

The total number of Ukrainians who have applied for a residence permit in the neighboring countries is estimated at 317 thousand people. Most of them are in Russia, Belarus and Poland.

The flow of Ukrainians to Europe continues. By the end of October, 8,936 Ukrainians asked asylum in the European Union.This is ten times more than in 2013.