Russian forces in Ukraine must respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians and refrain from damaging and destroying civilian infrastructure, said Janez Lenarcic, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.
“Access has been in many places, sporadic or non-existent at best,” and Russia “does not provide unhindered access for humanitarian supplies and humanitarian workers to those in need,” Lenarcic told reporters on Thursday.
Aid agencies delivering aid from the EU are having “difficulties in accessing some besieged cities,” he said, adding that they have “difficulties in accessing populations that are trapped in areas of active conflict.”
He blamed the Russian forces for this, saying that they “do not fulfill their international legal obligations.”
Speaking at the European Union Emergency Response Coordination Center (ERCC) in Brussels, where the EU coordinates the collection and delivery of humanitarian aid from all 27 EU countries, the commissioner said the aid to Ukraine was “the largest civil protection operation in history.” since the establishment of the EU Disaster Response Mechanism in 2001.
“This aggression has caused a humanitarian catastrophe on a scale we have not seen since the Second World War. The needs of the people in Ukraine are enormous,” he said.
He added that the ERCC, which operates 24 hours a day, is currently coordinating “food, medicine, medical equipment, ambulances, mobile hospitals, fire equipment, fire engines, fuel” for delivery to Ukraine.
The commissioner said he expects the number of refugees to continue to rise if the invasion continues.
“Now we have one million refugees a week. So if this goes on for another 10 weeks, yes, we can reach the figure of 15 million people,” he said.