Two Russian women asked for refugee status in Ukraine
On the morning of January 15, two Russian women applied for refugee status in Ukraine at Hoptivka international automobile checkpoint in Kharkiv region, the press service of the State Border Service reports.
"While passing through border control, a 47-year-old woman and her 20-year-old daughter, both citizens of Russia who both came from the neighboring country on foot with a small child, applied to the border guards of the Kharkiv detachment for refugee status," the message read.
During conversation, the woman told the border guards that because of their Ukrainian origin and her granddaughter’s Ukrainian citizenship they could not find a job and did not receive proper medical care in Russia.
"Being tired of the constant harassment by ethnicity, they were forced to ask for refugee status because they feared for their lives and the life of the child,” the State Border Service noted. It is reported that after execution of all the required documents, both Russian women were sent to the State Migration Service in Kharkiv region.
In 2016, eight Russian citizens were granted refugee status in Ukraine. Altogether, 69 Russians have applied to the Ukrainian government for protection. In the past two years, more than six thousand Russians have become citizens of Ukraine.