3.4 million people in Donbas require humanitarian assistance

“Civilians are paying the highest price in this crisis. 3.4 million people - including the elderly, the disabled and children - require humanitarian assistance and protection services”, Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacekeeping Affairs, told the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

She noted that the UN and its partners reached an estimated 1 million people annually since 2014 that “constitutes less than one third of all those.”

"With the 2019 humanitarian response plan having been severely underfunded, the 2020 plan will require $158 million, with the goal of reaching 2 million people," the diplomat said.

“Water, education and health infrastructure are severely affected, with 50 incidents of damage to schools in 2019, a 200 percent increase from 2018,” DiCarlo said.

In addition, there were  88 incidents targeting water networks near or on the contact line, she noted.

The diplomat urged to immediately stop the attacks on civilian infrastructure.

At 05:00 on February 18, the militants attacked the positions of Ukraine’s Joint Forces units near Novotoshkivske, Orikhove, Krymske, and Khutir Vilnyi.

The militants’ assault force under cover of massive artillery fire also captured one of the forward Ukrainian positions in the so-called "grey zone". As a result, one Ukrainian soldier was killed and four more soldiers were wounded.

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