Russia bracing for refugee influx

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, SEPT. 27. Russia is bracing itself for a deluge of refugees from Afghanistan as the U.S. prepares to attack terrorist bases and the fighting between the Taliban and the opposition intensifies.

Russian officials say up to 300,000 Afghans may cross the northern border into Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, which could in turn trigger off a catastrophic outflow of local ethnic Russians into Russia.

Many of the 6 million Russians living in ex-Soviet Central Asia may flee to Russia, according to the First Deputy Emergencies Minister, Mr. Yuri Vorobiov.

He said Russians would be driven by social and economic instability that is bound to aggravate once the region is flooded by Afghan refugees.

Russian embassies in Central Asia are already beseiged by people trying to emigrate to their ethnic homeland. ``Uzbeks have no choice but to join the American war,'' explains Mr. Vladimir Kolotilin, a Russian engineer living in Uzbekistan. ``Sooner or later this will provoke an Islamic backlash and `unfaithful' Russians are likely to become the prime target. I'm not taking any chances and am packing up to leave.''

A crisis centre has been set up in Moscow to handle the refugee problem and a team of the Emergencies Ministry is already in Tajikistan to co-ordinate relief aid.

Moscow hopes to reduce the refugee flow into Russia by setting up refugee camps in Central Asia and in Afghanistan itself.

The Emergencies Ministry is repleshing stocks of foodstuffs, warm clothes, tents and medicines and is maintaining close contact with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Food Organisation and U.S. relief agencies.

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Section  : International
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