The humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine is getting worse, as violence intensifies, supplies dwindle, and more than a thousand people flee their homes every day, a UN official said Tuesday.
At an emergency Security Council meeting called by Russia on Tuesday, director of UN humanitarian operations John Ging called for “immediate action” to quell the violence and devastation. He noted that drinking water, food, and power supplies have sustained serious damage, an estimated 70 percent of health workers have fled, and hundreds of houses and buildings have been destroyed.
According to the Associated Press, Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the situation in the east, particularly in Luhansk and Donetsk, is “disastrous.” He accused the Ukrainian military of indiscriminate shelling of housing and said Russia wants to send a humanitarian convoy to Luhansk and Donetsk under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Even as the Ukrainian army encircled the separatist-held cities, authorities denied there was a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
The UN was critical of Ukraine’s response to the crisis, with Vincent Cochetel, the Director for the European Bureau at the UN Refugee Agency, noting that “the current lack of a systematic and uniform system hampers the coordination and implementation of relief efforts. This is also important as the Ukrainian authorities make their preparations for winter. Most of the current shelters in use are not suitable for the cold winter months.”