ADC "Memorial" presents report on status of Romani refugees in Rostov Region and other regions accepting unwilling emigrants from Ukraine

Today, on the International Romani Day, the Anti-Discrimination Centre (ADC) "Memorial" presents its report "Romani and war. Romani residents of eastern Ukraine affected by war: refugees, migrants, and victims of violence." The report has been prepared by ADC experts on the basis of field investigations and interviews with dozens of Romani refugees held in the Rostov Region and other regions, where mainly refugees were sent after the escalation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

The "Caucasian Knot" has been informed by Stephania Kulaeva, the author of the report and the head of the ADC "Memorial", the document primarily talks about the border territories, including the Rostov, Belgorod, Bryansk Regions, and the Moscow Region, where people, who came from Donetsk, settled.

Residents of Ukraine began to arrive en masse in Russia in May-June 2014, after the Ukrainian power agents began the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) in the territories of the Lugansk and Donetsk Regions. Most of refugees arrived in the Rostov Region. According to the regional government, as of March 10, the Rostov Region accepted 39,132 refugees. Of them, 2713 people were settled at 34 temporary accommodation centres (TACs).

According to Stephaniya Kulaeva, the position of the above people in Russia and other refugees, who chosen to move to other areas of Ukraine, is very difficult. Meanwhile, the expert notes that if to speak of the civil society's assistance, then volunteers in Ukraine do quite a lot for refugees, while in Russia, refugees are thrown upon their our resources.

The authors of the report emphasize that it is addressed to all parties to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, to all those who care about the fate of the people remaining in Donbas, refugees of the war, and ethnic minorities suffering from double discrimination as refugees and as Romani. The authors of the report call on the international organizations, including the OSCE, UN, EU, and Council of Europe (CE), to pay special attention to the problems of ethnic minorities and vulnerable groups in eastern Ukraine.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.