Ukrainian refugees flee besieged cities to neighbouring Russian region

 More Ukrainian refugees are expected to arrive at temporary accommodation centres in Russia's Rostov region as people try to leave besieged towns in southeast Ukraine after Sloviansk was again shelled on Sunday.

Refugees say towns and cities in the southeast are surrounded by the Ukrainian National Guard army, which does not allow residents trying to leave the shelled zones, to reach the border.

"Everything depends on those who are on duty there. Some let people out. Others turn all back," Tatyana, one of the refugees, told ITAR-TASS. "When we were leaving, they said we would never return, that nobody would be allowed back from Russia," she said.

Activists of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic are organising evacuation of women and children. According to their information, more than 700 people are registered to take buses in Sloviansk. All are warned that they may have to go on foot out of the city and there may be tripwire on the way.

Federal Migration Service authorities in the Rostov region and the regional employment centre are helping refugees find jobs and settle problems with documents, delivering their services directly at camp locations.About 3,000 Ukrainian citizens are in camps for refugees near Rostov. Self-government is organised in the largest camp, Dmitriadovsky, where elected leaders distribute humanitarian aid.

Children are having medical checkups in the camps. Each is registered and has a medical card. A local doctor said the children needed psychological care first of all. They are emotionally exhausted, many suffering stress overnight when hearing a thunderstorm they mistake for bombardment.

"Residents from Ukraine continue to arrive in Russia," Vasily Malayev, a spokesman for the regional border guard department, told ITAR-TASS.