Statement of the Humanitarian Center about blocking of its operation in non-government-controlled areas

Due to the fact that the operation of distribution centre at Donbas Arena and all aid issuing points of Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Center in non-government-controlled areas is being blocked by armed people, the Center has no access to the premises, equipment and humanitarian aid. Hundreds of thousands of the elderly, disabled people and young mothers are left without humanitarian aid.

In regard to the blocking we state:

Obstruction of the Humanitarian Center's operation is a threat to lives of Donbas civilians, who became hostages of the armed conflict and found themselves on the verge of survival in the heart of Europe in the 21st century. For many of them the Humanitarian Center's food packages is the main, and often the only source of subsistence. Assistance from Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Center is the largest in the region and saved lives of more than one million people over 2.5 years.

Blocking of humanitarian aid is contrary to international law and can lead to humanitarian disaster, the scale of which will be unprecedented.

The main goal of Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Center is helping Donbas civilians to survive. That is why our work will be continued in government-controlled areas and along the contact line, a so-called "grey zone". We are ready to resume our operation in non-government-controlled areas, as soon as the distribution centre and the issuing points are unblocked.

Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Center calls on to the OSCE Special monitoring mission in Ukraine, to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, to the Humanitarian affairs subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group on peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbas with a request to pay immediate attention to the humanitarian situation in Donbas and the situation with human rights violation.