ROSTOV-ON-DON. Aug 4 (Interfax-AVN) - A total of 180 out of 438 Ukrainian servicemen have gone from Russia's Rostov region to Ukraine, press office head of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) border division for the Rostov region Vasily Malayev told Interfax on Monday.
"Right now at 2.29 p.m. Moscow time 180 Ukrainian troops, who crossed the Russian border in the Rostov region at night, went to Ukraine by buses," Malayev said.
According to Malayev, the servicemen willing to go to Ukraine went and the others are remaining in the Rostov region for now.
Meanwhile, supervisor of Ukrainian troops inter-service team, who crossed the Russian border overnight on August 4, battalion commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Major Vitaliy Dubinyak told reporters that for two weeks his troops "fought virtually without ammunition or fuel."
"I did not have the opportunity to feed people for over two weeks. The staff is exhausted not as much by gunfire but by the desperation. The center did not help us with anything except orders to 'hold on.' And they did not even got in touch with us in the past week - they have already buried us," the major said.
The decision to cross the Russian border was made "by subdivision commanders in order to preserve people," he said.
The good attitude of Russian servicemen towards Ukrainian troops should be noted, he said.
"To be honest, we did not expect that we will have such, it can be said, even a brotherly attitude to us," Dubinyak said.
The injured "were provided with medical examinations and assistance and were fed," Dubinyak said. "We had showers for the first time in a month. We were given clothes and provided for," he said.
"It is necessary to stop this civil bloodshed," Dubinyak said. "I have already got an eyeful of tears of locals and suffering of my guys. I am fed up with it. The main thing is that we are alive. And we will sort out the rest when we come back home," he said.
On August 4 a total of 438 Ukrainian servicemen asked representatives of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) border service to grant them asylum. The Ukrainian troops crossed the Russian border via a special humanitarian corridor set up and were placed in a temporary accommodation facility for refugees.