The evacuation of civilians from eastern Ukraine began on the evening of February 18, when the authorities of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR advised citizens to temporarily leave for Russia due to a sharp deterioration in the situation on the line of contact.

According to the government of the Rostov region, places were prepared overnight in the region for the reception of refugees.

They are settled in tent camps on the border, sanatoriums and hotels.

An RT correspondent visited the Kotlostroitel children's health center on the Krasny Desant farm, where the first evacuated women and children were brought on the morning of February 19.

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“We decided to evacuate after the teacher sent a message to the small (son. - RT ) in Viber that everyone who wants to evacuate can do it in the near future,” says RT Daria Zhmaka. 

In the afternoon, she, along with two small children, arrived at the Kotlostroitel children's health center on the Krasny landing farm.

According to the woman, they spent the whole night on the bus.

Like many other refugees, she does not know when she will be able to return home.

“We are satisfied with the place where we were settled.

Each family has its own room.

Everything is fine, only a little cold in the room.

They fed us normally: pasta and sausages were given.

True, the sausage had to be chewed well, ”Daria smiles.

Her daughter, following her, declares that she also likes everything.

“It’s good here,” the girl says briskly.

“But I really miss Bonya, our cat.

She stayed in Donetsk with her grandmother.

I also worry about my grandmother. 

Places were not found immediately

Not everyone was able to check in right away this morning.

Ivan Bezlyuk with his wife, daughter and granddaughter arrived in Russia in his own car.

According to him, at the Uspenka checkpoint, representatives of the Ministry of Emergency Situations advised him to go to the Kotlostroitel.

But when the family got to the health center, it turned out that there were no empty seats.

Next to his car are four long buses that brought women, children and pensioners from the city of Debaltseve.

“We were told that we were going to the Rostov region.

And we went, - says an elderly woman.

We were brought here at about eight in the morning.

The children have already exhausted everything, my mother is elderly - she is also tired.

Next to her silently stands 80-year-old Gennady Petrovich.

He leans on the carriage in which his grandson Lyosha sits.

He is 28 years old and has cerebral palsy.

Gennady Petrovich says that he did not want to leave, but his daughter persuaded him after she heard about the evacuation on radio and television on the evening of February 18.

“My daughter insisted, but I won’t leave them: she alone can’t cope with Lyosha.

I have been with him since childhood, taking care of him, ”says the pensioner.

When asked if he was afraid of dying under shelling, Gennady Petrovich laconically remarks: “Well, what can you do, you can’t run away from everything.” 

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In 2014, Gennady Petrovich survived heavy shelling in Debaltseve.

According to him, he, along with his wife and relatives, had to sit in a bomb shelter for days.

In 2015, his wife passed away - one day she simply fell on the threshold and stopped breathing.

In 2016, the house of Gennady Petrovich was destroyed during a mortar attack.

The pensioner restored it.

And now, six years later, they had to leave him.

“They just locked the house, closed the shutters,” says Gennady Petrovich.

“Now I’m afraid that it might be bombed again.” 

Finally, the resettlement organizer comes up to the buses and asks them to line up in front of the gates of the children's center.

Still, there were places for the residents of Debaltsevo.

“Yesterday, we only had places in cold buildings - people cannot be accommodated there without heating the premises.

We have been heating these rooms since the evening, now we will be able to accommodate people,” the administrator explains.

Daughter and grandson stayed in Donbass

Some of the refugees are settled in hotels in Taganrog.

Tatyana Savolyuk came here with her son, daughter and granddaughter from the city of Uglegorsk, which is located on the demarcation line of troops.

“We live in a buffer zone, it is 2.5 km wide.

We have been shelling there all eight years, not for a single day.

It's just that in recent days they have begun to shell a lot more.

Yesterday, for example, Gorlovka was heavily bombed.

It is next to us, 20 km.

We grabbed the things that came to hand, our two cats, and drove off, ”says the woman.

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Together with her relatives, she stands in line for check-in in the lobby of the hotel.

Tatyana worked as an auxiliary worker in a local boarding school for orphans. 

“We don’t have a job as such,” her son explains.

- Yes, we are shacking up.

Therefore, there was nothing special to throw.

Tatyana's granddaughter, Kristina, went to school yesterday, and now she doesn't know when she will see her teachers and classmates again.

“On Friday morning we went to school, but there were heavy shelling nearby.

Two of my close friends from the class also left, as did I.

And one more remained in Uglegorsk.

I don’t know what’s wrong with her, you can’t get through to those who stayed there now, ”says Christina.

Not all of Tatyana's family was able to leave for Russia.

Her husband stayed at home, who looks after the household, and the eldest daughter and son.

“Grandson is 19 years old, he is a Ministry of Emergency Situations.

They didn’t let him in at the border yesterday, ”Tatyana’s voice suddenly becomes very thin at this phrase, and she turns away.

One of the hotel employees recalls that in 2014 they also accepted refugees.

Then, as now, they did not know for how long they put people in rooms.

“As a result, people lived with us for several months.

Then they began to offer them to move to the Far East, but not everyone agreed to go there.

Many have returned.

And here again.

Feel sorry for them all,” she sighs.