UN: Humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine remains difficult

Baku. 20 March. REPORT.AZ/ About five million people in Ukraine in need of humanitarian assistance affected by the conflict in the east. Many of them are deprived of pensions and other social benefits. It is difficult to access to persons in need of assistance, because of the restrictions on movement. Many schools and medical facilities destroyed in conflict zones. Report informs, it was stated by the representative of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs John Ging.

John Ging stressed that the conflict in eastern Ukraine has led to the fact that 1, 7 million people were forced to leave their homes and flee. More than a million of them have become internally displaced persons. Many fled to Russia. The UN representative said that the humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine remains difficult.

Summing up, John Ging said that the main problems for the humanitarian community are the lack of access to those in need and a shortage of funds to assist them. He recalled that the United Nations has requested 316 million US dollars from donors to Ukraine and only five per cent of this amount were allocated.

During the conflict more than six thousand people were killed and 15 thousand were injured.