The UN Humanitarian Aid Office (OCHA) is bringing aid to eastern Ukraine and planning aid convoys to the rebel-held regions of Luhansk and Donetsk next week as fighting shifts, a spokesman told a news conference on Friday.
We already have convoys in our planning that should go there, I think next week. Whether that happens depends on the security situation,” said Jens Laerke, who described the regions recognized by Russia as independent states as “areas of greatest humanitarian concern.”
UN Humanitarian Head Martin Griffiths visited Ukraine and Russia this week, where he met with both parties and discussed arrangements for a possible humanitarian ceasefire in the conflict that has been going on for six weeks.
At this point we have no commitment from either party to a ceasefire,” added Laerke, who said it was a “gradual process” and Griffiths will continue to work to find a localized ceasefire agreement.
During his visit, he informed the Ukrainian government that international UN personnel will return to Kyiv in the coming days after Russian troops withdraw from the surrounding areas. Other humanitarian centers are also being set up in the east, for example in Dnipro. “The idea is to be as close as possible to those most in need,” Laerke said.
On Thursday he visited Bucha, where he saw a mass grave containing 280 bodies and repeatedly called on the UN for an immediate and independent investigation, Laerke added.
At the same briefing, a World Health Organization spokesman said nearly 1,500 health workers had been trained to respond to a possible “chemical incident” in Ukraine. The agency also offers treatments in case of exposure to chemicals and protective equipment, she added.
The UN agency said Thursday it was preparing for possible “chemical attacks,” a sign it was heeding warnings coming from both the West and Moscow.
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