Kiev Policies Could Worsen Humanitarian Crisis in Donbass

Moscow has urged the Ukrainian side to avoid any actions that could lead to the worsening of humanitarian problems for the residents of Donbass, according aRussian Foreign Ministry statement.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Kiev must avoid any actions that could lead to the deterioration of the humanitarian crisis in contested areas of eastern Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday.

Commenting on a recent report by the OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine, which points out at the fact that some 1.3 million residents of Donbass have limited access to potable water due to the ongoing conflict, the ministry stressed that the bombardment by Kiev-led forces and the restrictions on cargo transit and water supplies across the contact line were the main causes of the humanitarian crisis.

"We urge the Ukrainian side to avoid any actions that could lead to the worsening of humanitarian problems of Donbass residents, as it's stipulated by the Minsk "complex of measures," the ministry said in a statement.

Kiev authorities launched a military operation against independence militias in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region in April 2014. The confrontation has claimed nearly 8,000 lives, according to UN estimates.

In November 2014, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko ordered an economic blockade on Donbas and the withdraw all state-funded health, educational and social protections from the region.

Russia has sent more than 44,000 metric tons of humanitarian aid to the region since August 2014 to provide relief to local residents amid the crisis.