The overview of the current social and humanitarian situation in the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic as a result of hostilities between 23 and 29 January 2021

News Overview of the social and humanitarian situation

On January 28, an event took place in the capital of the DPR, which has become a key not only within the framework of this week, but also fateful in the history of Donbas. On Thursday, the Center for Slavic Culture opened a two-day integration forum “Russian Donbas”, where the doctrine of the same name was presented. This document is recognized as the ideological basis of the state policy of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, outlined and consolidated our strategic goals, that is the restoration of historical justice and reunification with the Russian Federation.

The head of the DPR Denis Pushilin, the Head of the LPR Leonid Pasechnik, the deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Andrey Kozenko and Kazbek Taisayev, the editor-in-chief of the RT TV-channel Margarita Simonyan, the actor and film director Tigran Keosayan, the Russian politician Roman Babayan took part in the event as guests of honor.

In total, the forum gathered about 400 participants, including political scientists, journalists, historians, scientists, statesmen and politicians of the DPR, LPR and RF. Friends and like-minded people of Donbas, who due to circumstances were unable to attend the event, expressed support for the doctrine via video communication and in the format of video-messages.

Welcoming the forum participants, the Head of the DPR Denis Pushilin emphasized that the doctrine expresses the feelings of the Donbas residents returning to their historical roots.

“It is intended to become a manifesto of our choice, presented to the whole world. The arguments and conclusions of the doctrine are based on objective historical facts, on the analysis of the economic, cultural and spiritual life of Donbas in different historical periods. It sets out the ideological basis, the principles of which are shared by all residents of Donbas”, – the DPR Head noted.

The doctrine “Russian Donbas” describes the role of Donbas in the development of Russian statehood and explains why we rightfully consider ourselves Russian. The document proves that Donbas is a primordially Russian region, a bastion of the Russian world, which was forcibly moved to another ideological system.

The final section of the doctrine is symbolically called “The future of Donbas – only with Russia” and describes the steps towards this goal. Including the elimination of the military threat to the population of the DPR and LPR; constitutional, legal and political design of the DPR and LPR as Russian national statehood; establishing control over all territories of the former Donetsk and Luhansk regions; comprehensive support for Russians living in Ukraine; deeper economic integration with Russia and complex integration of Donbas enterprises with Russian industry; intensification of socio-cultural, scientific, educational and other ties between the DPR, LPR and RF.

The implementation of the stated strategy has already begun. In particular, speaking at the forum, the head of the DPR Denis Pushilin said that 2021 in the DPR has been declared the Year of Russian Culture. In addition, the leader of the Republic proposed expanding the Humanitarian Program for the Reunification of the People of Donbas in order to help Russians and Russian-speaking people living throughout Ukraine.

The development of the doctrine “Russian Donbas” became a logical response of the Republics to the policy of ethnocide, which Ukraine is pursuing against the inhabitants of our region. Official Kiev emphasized demonstrates that it does not intend to fulfill the Minsk agreements, like any other agreements with the DPR and LPR. Moreover, Ukraine does not stop armed provocations along the entire Contact line and is trying to provoke a new round of escalation of the conflict.

Thus, according to the DPR Representation in the JCCC, on January 23, the armed formations of Ukraine, using an attack UAV, dropped an explosive device at the position of the DPR People’s Militia in the Staromikhaylovka area. As a result, the defender of the Republic died. It should be recalled that two days earlier, on January 21, the settlements of Staromykhailivka, Zaichenko, Oktyabr, Bezimenne, Sakhanka came under mortar fire of the AFU. In Staromykhailivka, residential buildings were damaged, and in the south of the Republic, one serviceman of the DPR PM was killed and another was injured.

Considering these tragic events and the overall sharp deterioration of the situation on the contact line, the DPR was forced to withdraw the security guarantees provided earlier for carrying out repair and restoration work on the Maryinka – Krasnogorovka gas pipeline, as well as initiate an extraordinary meeting of the security working group of the Contact Group on January 25.

Unfortunately, the extraordinary conference passed with zero results. Kiev, despite the presence of clear evidence of the criminal actions of the AFU, called the shelling of Staromykhailivka allegedly staged. Another significant point is that the Ukrainian negotiators ignored proposals to improve the coordination mechanism for responding to violations of the ceasefire regime, as well as ideas on amending the text of the Measures of control and strengthen the ceasefire regime.

The hostility of the Ukrainian authorities towards the residents of Donbas demonstrates itself more and more clearly and harshly. This is evident not only from the situation on the front line and the behavior of the Kiev negotiators at the Minsk platform. Legislative field of this state literally is full of Russophobic initiatives. Let us recall the scandalous internment bill, according to which Russians in Ukraine are proposed to be isolated in concentration camps. Or the bill “On the state policy of the transition period in CADLR after de-occupation”, which provides for lustration, Ukrainization, deprivation of residents of the Republics of the right to participate in elections and many other Nazi practices to suppress the population of the DPR and LPR. Special attention should be paid to the constant acts of linguistic terror of the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine, which find official support from the state.

On January 25, the Verkhovna Rada registered a number of new “peaceful” bills, which imply the introduction of administrative and criminal liability for the concealment of the citizenship of the “aggressor country” by Ukrainians. This offense is punishable by imprisonment from two to five years. It is noteworthy that the authors of the next legislative masterpiece were deputies from the presidential party “Sluha Naroda”. However, this initiative is interesting for two more reasons.

First, it is a vivid example of the deceit of the Kiev political elite. It cannot be interpreted otherwise, because just recently, in December 2020, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov, speaking about the passportisation of the Donbas population, stated the following: “No one will make claims to those citizens who have received passports of the Russian Federation”.

Secondly, it should be taken into account that today the legislation of Ukraine does not define the concept of “aggressor country”. Yes, this is how the Ukrainian authorities have publicly called Russia for seven years, but political PR and the law are different things. And here it is important to understand that the appearance in the Ukrainian legislation the wording “Russia is an aggressor country” (and without this, the bill on punishment for passports can be considered stillborn) will automatically mean that Ukraine unilaterally withdraws from the Minsk agreements.

 

Since the beginning of 2021, the Ombudsman received 206 complaints.

All received complaints can be divided into nine categories: personal rights – 57 complaints, economic rights – 9 complaints, social rights – 52 complaints; guarantees of human rights in civil, administrative and criminal proceedings – 32 complaints; enforcement of human rights in penitentiary institutions – 6 complaints; enforcement of rights in the field of education – 1 complaint; enforcement of rights in the field of healthcare – 8 complaints; enforcement of rights of mothers, children and families – 1 complaint, issues connected with the political and military situation in DPR – 40 complaints.

 

  1. Death toll, injuries to civilians and soldiers as a result of hostilities in the territory of the Donetsk People`s Republic

The DPR Ombudsman’s Office documents cases of violations of Donbas citizens’ rights by the Ukrainian side, including the right to life, personal integrity and freedom of movement.

Within the period between 23 and 29 January 2021, no one was injured.

Within the period between 1 January and 29 January 2021, in the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic, 3 persons sustained injuries and traumas of varying severities as a result of armed aggression by Ukraine: 3 servicemen of the Republic and 0 civilians.

Within the period between 23 and 29 January 2021, in the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic, one serviceman of the Republic died.

Within the period between 1 January and 29 January 2021, in the territory of the DPR, 2 servicemen of the Republic died as a result of armed aggression by Ukraine.

It should be noted that since the armed conflict began in the Donetsk People’s Republic, 4964 persons, including 90 children died.

Officially confirmed information on individuals who have been wounded since the beginning of the conflict continues to be reported to the Ombudsman’s Office in DPR.

 

  1. Register of the prisoners of war, missing soldiers and civilians

Based on the updated figures as of 29th January 2021, there are about 98 (102-4) people detained by the Ukrainian side:

– 98 people, for whom information is absent or being clarified by the Ukrainian side;

– four people (1 person is released, 1 person is dead, 2 persons are transferred to the list of missing persons).

Based on the updated figures as of 29th January 2021, there are 365 (363+2) people on the list of missing persons.

Two persons are transferred from the list of missing people in the territory of Ukraine.

 

  1. Register of displaced persons and affected citizens

At the time of armed conflict, the civilian population living in the zone of fighting and near the contact line is often affected. With the view to protect the human right to life and security of the person, and to provide assistance to victims as a result of armed aggression by Ukraine, social housing objects (dormitories, preventative clinics, health care centers).

With the coming into force of the Order of the Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic No. 137 of 24.04.2018, Territorial commissions in cities and districts are now responsible for accommodating affected civilians. They work under the supervision of the Republican Commission on Resettlement of Affected Persons chaired by the DPR Human Rights Ombudsman.

There are currently 838 accommodation places in the Donetsk People’s Republic available for citizens of this category. 63 social housing objects have been opened in the territory of DPR. 55 of them operate, 8 of them are held in reserve. Since the beginning of the conflict, 6813 people, including 1507 children have been registered as persons affected as a result of the conflict. Currently, 1999 people live in social housing objects of the Donetsk People’s Republic, including 349 underage children, 4814 people live in the housing fund, including 1158 children.