Priozersk (the Leningrad region), July 3, 2014
Monks of the Valaam Transfiguration Monastery have sheltered 116 refugees from the Eastern Ukraine at their dependency in Priozersk, reports Patriarchia.ru.
This has been announced by press secretary of the Synodal Department for Church Charity Vasily Rulinsky.
“Today we have celebrated a joint prayer service for peace in the Ukraine together with children – refugees from Donbass, sheltered by our dependency in Priozersk. By now the Valaam dependency has received 116 refugees from southeast of the Ukraine and is taking care of them,” cites V. Rulinsky a source from the monastery.
The first refugees from the Eastern Ukraine appeared in Priozersk early in June, reports 47News. These were women and children. Monks of the Valaam Monastery’s dependency and Voluntary group activists collected aid for them.
On June 19, the Argumenty I Fakty newspaper reported that there were already 300 refugees from the Eastern Ukraine on the territory of the Priozersk and Gatchina districts of the Leningrad region. The region’s authorities promised to accommodate all the refugees in “centers of temporary accommodation for individuals who have temporarily left the territory of the Ukraine”.
Early in July, in the Leningrad region an instruction booklet for refugees will be issued with details of all necessary telephone numbers. In addition to this, the common call-center for refugees has been launched in the region. They can get all necessary information by the telephone number: +7 931 372-16-56.
The situation in the Eastern Ukraine is still tense. Since the cease-fire regime was stopped by the Ukrainian “president” Petro Poroshenko all parties of the conflict have been continuing the armed confrontation. This is leading to increase of the exodus of refugees from the region.
