On 18 September, Coordinator of the Humanitarian Centre “Aid + Help” of Rinat Akhmetov Foundation Rimma Fil has given a weekly press briefing and disclosed the findings of a research Humanitarian situation in Donbass: what help local residents and IDPs need. The survey ordered by the Humanitarian Centre was conducted by a think tank Research & Branding Group in August to find out key expectations and needs of the Donbass residents and the IDPs. 

“When Rinat Akhmetov established the Humanitarian Centre, he set us a task to find out what people in Donbass and the IDPs need and how they see their future – I mean, when they are going back and on what conditions,” commented Rimma Fil. “Research findings show that 50.2% of respondents in Donbass (Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts) say they need humanitarian aid because of the current situation in the region. Thus, 76.6% of residents need help in the anti-terrorist operations (ATO) zone, 39.9% – in the liberated towns and 32.5% – in other areas where the hostilities did not take place. As to the displaced, 83% of those relocated inside or outside the region need humanitarian aid.”

The research indicates people in the anti-terrorist operations area mostly need food (74.9%) and medication (49.9%). Some in the ATO area are short of potable water, too (15.3%), while on average across Donbass the number is 10%. Food and medicines are also the basic needs for Donbass citizens in general. Other localities where the hostilities did not take place and the liberated areas have similar needs for food – 40.7% and 30.6% and medication – 16.5% and 16.4%, respectively.

“We’ve learned that 49.3% of people in Donbass require food and 28% – medicines. The need of the IDPs for food is 21.7%. Different sources say that one to three million people live in Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts where the military operations are taking place. Given a lack of stable electricity and water supply in most localities and no regular opportunity to buy food and medicines, humanitarian aid is critical. Rinat Akhmetov started a humanitarian aid drive and set the Humanitarian Centre of his Foundation an objective to help people and deliver at least 10,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid to the conflict area. Soon the next batch of humanitarian help weighing 970 tonnes will start from Dnepropetrovsk to Mariupol as part of the second convoy of Rinat Akhmetov’s humanitarian aid drive. Overall in September, the second lot will deliver 350,000 humanitarian aid packages to Donbass in four batches. The packages are the same: food sets, baby food and personal care items. The first convoy arrived in Mariupol on 22 August and delivered 200,000 humanitarian aid packages. As of today, 85% of them have been distributed, including 30% given to Donetsk residents,” shared Rimma Fil. 

As the need for medication is very high, the Humanitarian Centre is providing hospitals in Donetsk with medicines and equipment. This week the Centre has bought and installed enclosed diesel power stations for Donetsk Regional Hospital for Injury Treatment and Donetsk Regional Centre for Mother and Child Welfare.  Given the patchy electricity supply in the region, they will play a key role to ensure sustainability of hospitals, in particular, intensive care units, operating theatres, delivery rooms and children’s departments. The Humanitarian Centre will continue to supply medication and equipment to these hospitals as well as to the Kalinin Regional Hospital and the Burn Centre. Donetsk Children Cancer Centre also received necessary medicines. 

The Humanitarian Centre “Aid + Help” of Rinat Akhmetov’s Foundation has four key missions: evacuating people from the war zone; accommodating the IDPs; supplying the humanitarian aid; and rendering targeted help.

You can contact the Humanitarian Centre at a toll-free multichannel hotline 0 800 50 9001 and athelpdonbass@fdu.org.ua. Every day the hotline receives more than 700 calls.