54 Russians ask for asylum in Ukraine this year

Deputy Director of the Department for Foreigners and Stateless Persons of the State Migration Service of Ukraine Petro Syniavsky said this during a meeting of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Committee for Human Rights, National Minorities, and Interethnic Relations, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"481 people applied to the Migration Service with the request for recognition as a refugee or a person in need of additional protection for the first 9 months of 2016," he said.

According to him, 16 persons were granted refugee status, another 39 people were recognized as the people in need of additional protection, a number of applications are pending.

Syniavsky noted that 54 citizens of the Russian Federation have asked for asylum in Ukraine since the beginning of 2016. Five of them were recognized as refugees.

ol