OSCE warns of "humanitarian catastrophe" in eastern Ukraine

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said Friday that residents of eastern Ukraine are suffering from a serious humanitarian disaster due to the impact of the conflict between governmental forces and pro-independence insurgents.

"A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in eastern Ukraine right before our eyes," Michael Bociurkiw, a spokesman for the OSCE monitoring mission to Ukraine, told reporters.

Many people living in Lugansk and Donetsk regions are suffering from medicine shortages and have no proper access to healthcare due to the damage to medical infrastructure caused by the conflict, Bociurkiw said.

He added that some vulnerable groups of people are also experiencing problems with getting social benefits, humanitarian aid and other essential assistance from the authorities.

Speaking about situation with children's rights in the restive territories, Bociurkiw said the violence has pushed many youngsters, especially those living in rural areas, out of schools and kindergartens.

"Many children, who stayed in the region, remain in the state of shock. They have nowhere to play and nowhere to study," the spokesman said.

Much of eastern Ukraine's infrastructure, including educational and healthcare establishments, has been destroyed or severely damaged due to the deadly conflict, which is raging almost a year and has claimed over 6,000 lives.

The fighting has sparked a massive outflow of refugees. Last month, the UN refugee agency reported internal displacement of at least 1.1 million people in Ukraine, saying that more than 670,000 Ukrainians have fled the country, seeking refuge in neighboring states, in particularly Russia and Belarus. Endi