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Aid relief reaches Ukraine towns and cities reclaimed from Russian control
Urgently needed aid relief has reached areas of north-east Ukraine recently reclaimed from Russian control amid ongoing fighting, UN humanitarians said on Friday.
More than 73,000 people in Kharkiv oblast have now received food assistance, which is nearly half of the population in the retaken areas.
Villages and settlements across the oblast that are back under Ukrainian government control are unable to meet even their most basic needs, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“Our access to these areas follows several months of intense fighting,” said OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke. “Nearly 140,000 people are believed to remain in the towns, villages and settlement in areas where control has changed, but they have extremely limited access to food, water, gas, electricity and medical services.”
Izium latest
In the town of Izium, the eight to 9,000 people still there are “completely dependent” on humanitarian aid to survive, Mr. Laerke continued.
Markets and shops have been destroyed or are closed, and families “gather in the main town square” to exchange possessions and supplies, to meet their basic needs, the OCHA spokesperson explained.
‘Frequent’ fighting in Kupiansk
Further north and at the edge of Luhansk oblast, the town of Kupiansk is today home to 4,000 people, compared with the pre-war population of 28,000.
“Hostilities and fighting are still frequent there,” OCHA reported, adding that aid convoys have delivered food, water, essential household items, medicines and health services to Izium and Kupiansk, where volunteer groups have responded, too.
In addition to food assistance, OCHA has coordinated the distribution of 12,000 hygiene kits and kitchen sets, solar lamps and blankets to 15,000 people.
ends
STORY: North-Eastern Ukraine Humanitarian Update - OCHA
TRT: 1 mins 34s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 7 October 2022 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Medium shot, UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide shot, press room with panel of speakers, cameraman lines up shot in foreground.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) OCHA, Deputy Spokesperson, Jens Laerke: “More than 73,000 people, and that's nearly half of the population in the retaken areas in Kharkivska oblast have received food assistance. We've also distributed 12,000 hygiene kits and kitchen sets, solar lamps and blankets to 15,000 people.”
- Medium shot, journalist looking at laptop, another participant to rear.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) OCHA, Deputy Spokesperson, Jens Laerke: “Our access to these areas that we have now follows several months of intense fighting. Nearly 140,000 people are believed to remain in the towns, villages and settlements in areas where control has changed, but they have extremely limited access to food, water, gas, electricity and medical services.”
- Close-up, hands of journalist typing.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) OCHA, Deputy Spokesperson, Jens Laerke: “In Izium, some 8,000 to 9,000 people remain there in that town, that’s down from its original population of around 46,000 people. And those remaining are completely dependent on humanitarian aid to survive.”
- Medium shot, participants and TV screen showing speakers.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) OCHA, Deputy Spokesperson, Jens Laerke: “Markets and shops in Izium have been destroyed or are closed. Families gather in the main town square to exchange their possessions and supplies to meet their basic needs.”
- Medium shot, journalists taking notes.
- Close up shot, hands typing on laptop keyboard.
- Medium shot, journalist taking notes in foreground, participant to rear.
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New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
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Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
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