Children of refugees from Kharkiv near a temporary accommodation center in the village of Malinovka, Belgorod RegionMOSCOW, March 23Almost 18,000 people, including 3,700 children, were evacuated to Russia from dangerous regions of Ukraine and Donbas over the past day, despite obstacles from Kyiv, to Russia, Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation, said at a briefing on Wednesday. «Despite all the difficulties and obstacles posed by Kiev, over the past 24 hours, without the participation of official authorities, 17,929 people were evacuated to Russia from dangerous regions of Ukraine, the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, including 3,708 children, and in total since the beginning of the special military operations — already 384 thousand 111 people, of which 80 thousand 770 are children,» the general said.Refugees from Mariupol refuse medical care because of Ukrainian propagandaAccording to Mizintsev, 2,895 units of personal vehicles crossed the state border of the Russian Federation, and in total — 43,287 cars. Head of the National Center for Defense Control of the Russian Federation, Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev. «… 6,862 citizens from 25 foreign states who, by the will of fate, ended up on the territory of Ukraine, continue to be held hostage by the militants of the territorial defense battalions,» Mizintsev said. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine 24 February. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» To this end, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine» bloody crimes against civilians» of Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops. With the support of the Russian Armed Forces, the DPR and LPR groups are developing an offensive, but there is no talk of the occupation of Ukraine, the Russian president emphasized. Ukraine is openly talking about plans to cut Russian children
