Monks of the Valaam Monastery Shelter 116 Refugees from Eastern Ukraine in Valaam Metochion
7/5/14
The monks of the Holy Transfiguration Valaam monastery have sheltered 116 refugees from Eastern Ukraine in their metochion in Priozersk. This was related by Vasily Rulinsky, press secretary of the Synodal Department for Church Charity.
“Today, we have prayed for peace in Ukraine together with refugee children from the Donbass, which our metochion has welcomed in Priozersk. To date, the Valaam metochion is taking care of 116 refugees from Southeastern Ukraine,” reports V. Rulinsky, quoting a source in the monastery.
The first refugees from Eastern Ukraine arrived in Priozersk in early June, according to the portal “47News.” They were women and children. Monks of the Valaam monastery and civil society activists collected donations for these refugees.
On June 19, the newspaper “Arguments and Facts” reported that the Priozersk and Gatchina Districts of the Leningrad region had already welcomed 300 refugees from Eastern Ukraine. The regional authorities have promised to accommodate all refugees and provide temporary accommodation for those people who have temporarily left Ukrainian territory.”
In early July, the Leningrad region will release a memo for refugees with all necessary telephone numbers. In addition, there is a single call-center inside the region for the refugees. By calling +7 931 372-16-56 they can receive all necessary information.
The situation in Eastern Ukraine remains tense. After Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko ended the ceasefire, both sides continued their armed confrontation. This has lead to an increase of refugees from the region.
The St. Basil the Great Foundation Has Organized the Transfer of Ukrainian Refugees to Vladimir
PRAVMIR. July 3, 2014. Refugees in buses from Kramatorsk, who were shelled last night at the Russian-Ukrainian border, are finally conveyed to the Vladimir region.
The buses carried 85 refugees, including 40 children, related Sedmitsa.Ru
The refugees’ transport was undertaken by the social organization, “Municipal Shield of Moscow,” with the financial support of the St. Basil the Great Charitable Foundation, the federal coordinator of fundraising to help the Donbass people.
On June 9, the St. Basil the Great Foundation and the Council of Ministers of the Donetsk People’s Republic signed an agreement for the provision of humanitarian assistance to the Donbass population.
In particular, the Foundation took upon itself the coordination of financial donations, its own and those from other legal entities and individuals, to a special account. The donations were intended for purchasing needed goods and to transport the Ukrainian refugees to safe areas.
“Transferring refugees from armed conflict territory is a difficult task. It is necessary to organize bus transport from the boarding site to the Russian-Ukrainian border, and then buses from the border to the specific destination (in this case, the Vladimir region). The St. Basil the Great Foundation covers the transfer costs,” related Sergey Tsapenko, head of the “Municipal Shield of Moscow” organization. “In addition, we negotiate with local authorities to place refugees in social facilities.”
Meanwhile, as noted by the St. Basil the Great Foundation, following the end of the armistice in Ukraine, the number of refugees has continued to increase: “We constantly receive messages concerning hundreds of refugees waiting at the southeastern border of Ukraine. To the greatest possible extent, we will help convey them to a safe area. To date, we have reached an agreement with governors of 31 Russian regions to accommodate the Ukrainian refugees,” the Foundation explained.
