'Pope for Ukraine' Humanitarian Fund to Allocate $211,000 to Avdiivka Residents

A humanitarian fund of Pope Francis for Ukraine will allocate 200,000 euros (about $211,000) in aid to the town of Avdiivka, which suffered from the military operations since January, the head of the Donetsk military and civil administration Pavlo Zhebrivsky said Wednesday.

KIEV (Sputnik) — The "Pope for Ukraine" is a humanitarian initiative launched by Pope Francis with the aim to help people affected by the war in southeast of the country.

"Papal Nuncio [to Ukraine Claudio Gugerotti] said that 200,000 euros from the [humanitarian] initiative fund ‘Pope for Ukraine’ will be allocated for the needs of Avdiivka’s inhabitants," Zhebrivsky posted on his Facebook account following Gugerotti’s visit to Avdiivka.

The situation in southeastern Ukraine has escalated over the past few weeks, in particular near the town of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region, where clashes between Kiev forces and the local militia have intensified. The conflicting parties have accused each other of initiating the violence.

The breakout of hostilities in eastern Ukraine began in April 2014 as a local counter-reaction to the West-sponsored Maidan coup in Kiev that had toppled legitimate President Viktor Yanukovych in February. Residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions held independence referendums and proclaimed the People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Kiev has since been conducting a military operation, encountering stiff local resistance.

In February 2015, Kiev forces and Donbass independence supporters signed a peace agreement in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. The deal stipulates a full ceasefire, weapons withdrawal from the line of contact in Donbass, as well as constitutional reforms that would give a special status to the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. Since then, the ceasefire regime has been regularly violated, with both sides accusing each other of multiple breaches, undermining the terms of the accord.