Almost 400,000 Ukrainians have already left occupied territories through Zaporizhzhia

31.07.2022 22:54

Ukrinform

Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, about 400,000 Ukrainians have left the occupied territories through Zaporizhzhia city.

"About 400,000 people have passed through the city, 106,000 have been registered as internally displaced," Oleksandr Starukh, Head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, told Ukrinform in an interview.

After being evacuated to Zaporizhzhia, some IDPs went to other cities, he added.

Almost 90,000 displaced people have settled in Zaporizhzhia city. There are 16,000 residents of Donetsk region among them, including about 7,000 residents of Mariupol. Many people from Polohy district and Huliaypole, Zaporizhzhia region, also stayed.

A network of hubs for IDPs has been created in Zaporizhzhia city, Starukh noted.

"We used to have one general hub that received IDPs from all regions, but now we decided to create separate hubs for each district. We have already opened hubs for residents of Melitopol, Vasylivka, Polohy, and Berdiansk districts. A hub for Mariupol was created long ago. The relevant local self-government bodies take care of these hubs. We created the conditions, and they deal with the accommodation of the displaced persons," the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration explained.

He also added that a separate hub for displaced persons from Kherson region was currently being created. According to him, 15 representatives of local authorities of Kherson region work to open it.

"A lot of people are leaving Kherson region. Last week, we met with the representatives of the local authorities of Kherson region: representatives of the regional administration, city authorities, MPs. We agreed that they will ensure the reception of citizens on a permanent basis. Already 15 people are involved in this. They also regulate and control the delivery of volunteer aid to the territory of Kherson city and Kherson region," Starukh noted.

As reported, to leave the temporarily occupied territory through Vasylivka, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainians will need to obtain a special pass from the occupation commandant's office. Such rules seem to come into effect already on August 1.