The overview of the current social and humanitarian situation, within the territory of the Donetsk People`s Republic as a result of hostilities between 1 and 7 July 2017

 

The right to determine and change the constitutional order in Ukraine belongs exclusively to the people and shall not be usurped by the State, its bodies or officials.

Article 5. Constitution of Ukraine

 

At the time of the establishment of Ukraine as an independent state in 1991, the new government committed itself not to join military and political blocs. The non-aligned course was first established in the “Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Ukraine”, and later in the Constitution. The Declaration of Independence Act of Ukraine, adopted on August 24, 1991, has the following words: “The Verkhovna Rada is implementing a declaration on the state sovereignty of Ukraine, in which it proclaimed its desire to become a neutral non-bloc state.”

However, after the coup d’etat in Ukraine in 2014, the country’s legislation has undergone many changes. Leaders who seized power as a result of the Maidan are not afraid to make radical changes, even in the Constitution, the Basic Law of the country, thereby making it suitable for them.

This week the Ukrainian parliament took another step towards NATO. The Verkhovna Rada supported the bill for the intention to join the North Atlantic Alliance, and President Poroshenko signed the relevant law – “On Amending Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine (Regarding Ukraine’s Foreign Policy).”

The parliamentarians amended the Laws “On the Fundamentals of Domestic and Foreign Policy” (2010) and “On the Fundamentals of National Security of Ukraine” (2003), and thereby codified that “membership in NATO is a priority of the state foreign policy”. According to Petro Poroshenko, NATO membership is a strategic goal of the country.

As early as December 2014, the Rada renounce the non-bloc status of the state. In September 2015, a new Military Doctrine was approved in Kiev, which set as a priority the deepening of cooperation with NATO and the achievement of full compatibility of its army with the forces of the member countries by 2020.

Meanwhile, it’s necessary to mind other parameters that potential members of NATO must match. Countries that wish to join the Alliance must undergo a multi-stage process, that includes political dialogue and military integration, as well as:

• Demonstrate committment to the principles of the rule of law and human rights;
• Resolve ethnic conflicts and external territorial disputes, disputes in internal jurisdiction peacefully, in accordance with OSCE principles and with the aim of striving for good neighborly relations;
• Establish proper democratic and civil control over their armed forces;
• refrain from the threat of force or use of force in any way that does not conform to the purposes of the UN.

Now Ukraine cannot peacefully settle the conflict on its own territory, daily violating the rights of its own people. Does it make sense to talk about a possible alliance with the NATO member countries? Or is this another reason for the Government to redistribute state budget expenditures?

The Ukrainian leaders seek to push the country into the North Atlantic Alliance as soon as possible, despite the fact that most of the population does not support this policy. Although issues of this kind should be adopted exclusively through the all-Ukrainian referendum.

The so-called Government of Ukraine proves again that it considers itself superior to its people, depriving residents of the right to vote and the right to independently decide the fate and foreign policy of their state.

In the Donetsk People’s Republic Human rights are patronized by the Human rights Ombudsman. Citizens can apply to the Ombudsman in any suitable way. Now, the majority of applications is still verbal and submitted through personal reception either with the Ombudsman or the heads of the Office, addressing the Public Complaints and Appeals Department, via hotlines and via web-reception on the Website of the Ombudsman. There is a possibility to file a written complaint that may be submitted either in person or via e-mail. Since 2017 the Ombudsman received 3183 appeals. In the period of work between 1 and 12 July 2017, 12 persons have visited the Ombudsman in person, 38 of the claims were accepted by the Appeals department 32 calls were made via hotlines. 32 applications were received via e-mail, 23 written appeals were taken into consideration, 5 – have been considered among those received earlier, 37 citizens were provided with legal counseling.

All appeals received can be divided into four categories: violations in criminal law – 185 appeals, violations in civil law– 326 appeals, administrative and legal violations against the DPR citizens – 2 appeals, social and humanitarian issues – 2670 appeals (diagram 1).

 

 

 

The number of appeals (complaints, applications) from citizens,  submitted to the Office of DPR Ombudsman as of 07.07.2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

Among all incoming correspondence to the Ombudsman of DPR, the one which deals with the issues of exercise of social rights of citizens and violations of these rights is the most frequent.  These issues are: pension and social payments – 379 appeals, temporary accommodation – 339 appeals, the order of a complaint submission and paperwork in case of property destruction – 60 appeals, humanitarian assistance – 142 appeals, employment – 125 appeals, paperwork on travelling documents – 8 appeals, search of the missing – 112 appeals, loss of IDs   – 265 appeals, housing issues – 156 appeals, temporary residence permit – 162 appeals, other social and humanitarian issues – 922 appeals (diagram 2).

The number of appeals (complaints, applications) from citizens on social and humanitarian isses, received by the DPR Ombudsman`s Office as of 07.07.2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The majority of complains are traditionally received from Donetsk, by territory (Diagram 3).

 

The number of appeals (complains, applications) from citizens, received by the DPR Ombudsman`s Office as of 07.07.2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Statistics and analysis of destroyed infrastructure objects

Targeted shelling by Ukrainian forces causes destruction of private property and infrastructure – this is the reality of the front-line regions of the Donetsk People’s Republic.

As of 6 July 2017 more than 11381 infrastructure objects were partly destroyed (damaged) as a result of hostilities.

More than 6828 objects have been destroyed in Donetsk, 268 units in Debaltsevo, 527 units in Gorlovka, 91 units in Dokuchayevsk, 309 units in Yenakievo, 91 units in Zhdanovka, 75 units in Kirovskoye, 1113 units in Makeyevka, 54 units in Snyezhnoye, 118 units in Torez, 750 units in Khartsysk, 75 units in Shakhtyorsk, 577 units in Yasinovataya, 278 units in Amvrosyevka region, 3 units in Volnovakha region, 24 units in Maryinka region, 17 units in Novoazovsk region, 57 units in Starobeshevo region, 93 units in Telmanovo region, 33 units in Shakhtyorsk region.

Destroyed objects by branches:

– 6236 houses;

– 769 power lines and points of distribution of electricity;

– 176 heating supply facilities;

– 47 water supply facilities;

– 2669 gas supply facilities;

– 14 wastewater and sewerage facilities;

– 102 healthcare facilities;

– 512 general educational institutions (schools, kindergartens);

– 59 vocational and technical educational institutions;

– 62 higher educational institutions;

– 26 physical and sport education institutions;

– 54 cultural institutions;

– 240 road and transport infrastructure objects;

– 60 industrial objects;

– 89 trade objects;

– 266 objects in other spheres.

According to the official data as of 6 June 2017 there are 2813 objects of governmental and communal ownership damaged, 530 – rebuilt and 2283 – are to be rebuilt.

 

2. Estimates of mortality, wounds to civilians and soldiers as a result of hostilities in the territory of the Donetsk People`s Republic.

Almost every day the DPR Ombudsman’s Office records cases of violations of rights of Donbass citizens by Kiev authorities: right to life, to security of the person, to the inviolability of the home.

On 30 as a result of shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine against Dokuchaievsk a civilian man born in 1975 sustained a laceration of the elbow joint.

As a result of provocative fire by Ukrainian forces against Yasinovataya a DPR serviceman born in 1977 sustained mine-blast trauma, laceration of the lower third of the right forearm, blunt shrapnel wounds of the lower and the upper third of the right thigh.

On 1 June as a result of shelling by Ukrainian forces of Petrovskiy district of Donetsk a civilian man of 30 years old sustained shrapnel wound of the chest.

On 3 July as a result of shelling by Ukrainian forces of Petrovskiy district of Donetsk a civilian man born in 1991 sustained shrapnel wound of the lower third of the left thigh with damage to femoral artery.

On 4 July as a result of hostilities near Sakhanka, Novoazovsk region, a DPR serviceman born in 1983 sustained blunt shrapnel wound of the left knee joint.

On 6 July as a result of hostilities vicinity of Molochnoye village, near Gorlovka, a DPR serviceman of 41 years old sustained multiple shrapnel wounds of the chest, left shoulder and both limbs.

It was also reported on the open fracture as a result of hostilities on June 28, 2017, near Verkhnietoretskoye urban-type settlement, Yasinovataya region.

 

Within the period between 30 June and 6 July 2017, 6 persons sustained injuries of various severities in the territory of the DPR as a result of constant shelling from Ukraine.  Among them, there were 3 DPR servicemen and 3 civilian men.

Within the period between 1 January and 6 July 2017 413 persons sustained injuries of various severities in the territory of the DPR. Among them, there were 243 DPR servicemen and 170 civilians, including 9 children under 18.

Within the period between 30 June and 6 July 2017, 3 DPR servicemen died.

Within the period between 1 January and 6 July 2017, 175 persons, including 154 servicemen and 21 civilians died in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

To be specific, since the beginning of the armed conflict   4464 persons died. Among them, there were 604 women and 3860 men, including 75 children under eighteen.

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. The information is being processed at the moment and it will be included into general statistics of the injured individuals.

 

3. Register of the prisoners of war and missing soldiers and civilians

 

This week, a regular meeting in the Minsk format was held. It was previously planned to detail the lists of detained persons confirmed by both sides, as well as to start negotiations on the date of the long-awaited exchange. However, representatives of the Ukrainian side in the humanitarian subgroup in every possible way disrupted the negotiation process by blackmailing authorized representatives of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.

 

     “We intended to complete preparations for the exchange of all confirmed for confirmed persons at today’s meeting. Our tremendous effort had gone into coordinating the lists. However, the destructive position of the Ukrainian side once again showed the unwillingness of the official Kiev to perform the exchange. Our delegation left the meeting, since the Ukrainian side officially refused to perform the exchange”, – commented Daria Morozova.

 

This week, no appeals on capture or missing persons were received by the Ombudsman’s Office in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

Based on the updated figures as of 07.07.2017, 684 persons are kept by the Ukrainian side including:

– 419 of those whose presence on the territory of Ukraine had been confirmed. As reported to the Ombudsman’s Office, 7 persons were excluded from the list. They received suspended sentences and were released;

– 265 persons whose whereabouts are unknown or are being clarified by the Ukrainian side.

As of 07 July 2017, 508 persons are considered missing.

The Ombudsman`s Office continues to clarify information about the individuals, who were detained by the Ukrainian side, the statistics may change.

The DPR Ombudsman`s Office will no longer publicly categorize the detainees by “serviceman”, “arrested for political reasons”, “civilian irrelevant to the conflict” due to safety considerations.

 

4. Register of forcibly displaced persons.

 As the military conflict started in Donbass, a new vulnerable group of people – IDPs – was formed. These people had to leave their home, fleeing from the destructive fire of Ukrainian artillery, and to start a new life.

In Ukraine they faced discrimination and restrictions on social rights rather than all-round assistance and support. It has been three years since the military conflict started, and the Ukrainian Government still cannot establish the process of receiving social assistance by temporary displaced persons.

In June 2016, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine issued Resolution No. 365 regulating social payments for displaced persons, including pension. However, the procedure approved by the government only aggravated the situation of these people. It has become much more difficult to receive social payments and pensions: now it is necessary to queue many hours in state services and banks, to undergo inspections, to collect an inconceivable number of documents. It is especially difficult to formalize pension payments.

Many people are deliberately deprived of their social guarantees, for absurd grounds. Often it comes to trial: IDPs desperately defend their civil rights. As practice shows, the truth is on their side.

1275 IDPs now live in temporary accommodation of the Office, including 251 underage children. Since the beginning of the conflict 5139 referrals for temporary accommodation have been issued, 245 of them – in 2017. All the TACs are under the DPR Ombudsman’s inspection. The staffs of the Office monitor the TACs on the weekly basis, with the view to respond promptly to the citizens’ needs. The Ombudsman makes every effort to improve social and living conditions for people who live in the TACs.

During the period of work between 1 and 7 June 2017, 30 persons have applied to the Ombudsman’s Office on the issues related to internally displaced persons, 3 of them were accommodated in the TACs of the Ombudsman`s Office in Donetsk, Makeyevka ad Khartsysk.

There are currently 1393 housing spots available for IDPs. Among them: 1345 – in DPR Temporary Accommodation Centres (including TACs of Ombudsman`s Office); 437 – in TACs of the Ombudsman`s Office; 56 – in housing fund of the DPR.

It is necessary to remind that there are 8013 persons, including 2081 children under the age of eighteen registered since the beginning of the conflict. 68 temporary settlements have been established within the territory of DPR, 57 of them operate today, 11 of them are held in reserve. Currently, 2878 individuals live in the centres, including 571 underage children, 5135 persons live in the housing fund of DPR, including 1510 children under eighteen.

 

5. Employment of DPR citizens

Students of higher educational institutions of the Republic are increasingly faced with the need and desire to work. Students are motivated to have some money for personal expenses, as well as to become less dependent on parents. It must not be forgotten that, first of all, a working student gets an invaluable experience, thanks to which it will be easier for him to find a job after graduation.

Now students will find no difficulty in finding a temporary job in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Employers offer options with various vacancies. Thus, students can choose a job that they like or that is directly related to their future profession. This is mainly about senior students, since they already have the necessary knowledge to start working as specialists. As a rule, employers gladly accept students for work, treating them as potential specialists. In turn, this is a good opportunity for the students themselves to get to know more closely with their major.

In the modern world, more and more young people are thinking about their future career while studying at the university. Therefore, starting the career with a summer job may be an excellent experience. Summer work may serve as a foundation for the student to build a future career and it will become a notable line in the CV.

On July 3, 2017 specialists of the Donetsk City Employment Centre took part in an retreat of the administration of Kalininsky district of Donetsk with students of the M. Gorky Donetsk National Medical University on their participation in temporary work during the summer holidays.

During the event, students were informed about the procedure for conducting temporary jobs, types of work and vacancies for temporary jobs. Special attention was drawn to the fact that during the performance of temporary work relations between the employee and the employer are regulated by labour legislation, fixed-term employment contracts are concluded with the employees, the period of work is included in the length of service that gives the right to a pension and the salary is regularly paid.

The Republic Employment Center is the main state organ responsible for providing jobs to citizens. According to their data, 18,9 thousands of vacancies were available in the common database as of 07.07.2017. As of 7 July 2017, there were 31,3 thousand individuals who seek for job, registered in the Republic Employment Centers. Among them: 25,7 thousand have been employed (11,5 of them – on permanent positions, 14,2 – temporarily).

Donetsk Centre of Vocational Education of The Republic Employment Centre organizes regular free public workshops to train practical skills, such as work with personal computers; technique and mechanization of trade accounts (work with cash register machines); the program “1C: Accounting 8.2.”; fundamentals of entrepreneurship; processing and decoration of textile and clothing products etc. Since the beginning of 2017, 230 persons participated in those workshops.