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UN refugee agency delivers aid to eastern Ukraine for first time in months

Xinhua, November 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

For the first time since the suspension of its activities, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has delivered vital winter aid to up to 12,000 highly vulnerable people in the area of eastern Ukraine that is beyond government control, a UN spokesman said here Monday.

"The UNHCR convoy of nine trucks loaded with basic relief items and construction materials passed through checkpoints to arrive in Luhansk on Saturday," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

"It was the first UN convoy in three months to take supplies to the city, where thousands of civilians have been caught up in the conflict that erupted last year."

The delivery included 10,000 blankets, 10,000 towels, 5,000 buckets and a similar number of jerry cans and plastic sheets, as well as cement and timber for shelter repairs, he said. "It was unloaded at a warehouse in the city for distribution in a drive that began today (Monday)."

The last major delivery announced by UNHCR was on Sept. 1 when shelter material and basic relief items reached Horvlika and nearby areas north of Donetsk that suffered heavy fighting in August.

The convoy is the first of many planned deliveries carrying much needed winterization, domestic items and shelter materials into Luhansk.

In the coming weeks, UNHCR is planning to send nearly 1,000 metric tonnes of humanitarian materials and emergency aid for the affected population. Meanwhile, considerably more resources are currently being mobilized for future dispatches to the non-government-controlled areas.

As winter sets in, conditions will turn harsher for people in villages and towns close to the frontline where the conflict has damaged infrastructure and housing.

With restrictions to movement, many people face insecurity and challenges in reaching medical and educational facilities. In some remote areas, access to basic services and goods remain limited, especially for the elderly and ill.

As temperatures fall across the region, shelter assistance has to be delivered fast to those living in buildings that lack windows, doors, roofs and heating. In addition, thousands of displaced people are in dire need of warm blankets, winter clothing and shoes, as well as coal and heating fuels. Enditem