Putin orders aid to Russia's Rostov Region as refugees flood in from Donbas

MOSCOW, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin asked the Russian Emergencies Ministry to provide assistance to the country's southern Rostov Region amid an influx of refugees coming from eastern Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

"Putin ordered the acting head of the ministry to urgently fly to the Rostov Region to organize on-site work on creating conditions for accommodation for refugees, provision of hot meals and other necessities, including medical care," Peskov was quoted by Russia's RIA Novosti news agency as saying.

The governor of the Rostov Region asked Putin for assistance earlier in the day as record numbers of refugees were arriving in Russia from Donbas amid a sharp increase in shelling, RIA Novosti noted.