The humanitarian situation in the Donbass is “extremely alarming”, warns the UN
The humanitarian situation in Ukraine, after nearly four months of Russian invasion, is “extremely alarming”the UN said on Friday, as fighting between Ukrainian and Russian armies continues to rage in the east of the country. “The humanitarian situation across Ukraine, particularly in Eastern Donbas, is extremely alarming and continues to deteriorate rapidly”said OCHA, the UN humanitarian agency, in a statement.
According to OCHA, the situation is “particularly worrying” in and around Sievierodonetsk, the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance in the Luhansk region, almost entirely under Russian control. “Access to drinking water, food, (…) and electricity” there is “reduced”underlines the OCHA, result in particular “fighting that continues to escalate”(…) “taking a heavy toll on the civilian population”.
OCHA regrets that “the two belligerents, at this stage, do not[aient] still no agreement to facilitate the evacuation of civilians or to allow access for humanitarian aid” in Sievierodonetsk and its neighboring town of Lysytchansk, under constant bombardment for several days. “Throughout the country, residential areas and civilian infrastructure continue to be affected, resulting in more civilians being killed and injured”alarmed the UN agency.
Despite “enormous difficulties of access”the UN and its humanitarian partners “have reached more than 8.8 million people across Ukraine since the start of the war”, however welcomed the organization. According to the UN, 4,452 civilians have been killed and 5,531 injured since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24, according to the latest report provided on June 15. The UN regularly points out that “the figure is probably much higher”.