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 September 2018

News Overview of the social and humanitarian situation

 

September 8, 1943, was an unforgettable and joyful day for residents of our region – troops of the South and South-Western fronts liberated the Donetsk basin from German invaders – the most important coal and industrial region of the country and liberated the regional centre of Donbass – the city of Stalino (Donetsk). This memorable date went down in history as the Day of Liberation of Donbass from the Nazi invaders, which marks the 75th anniversary this year.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Stalino was one of the largest industrial centres not only of the Ukrainian SSR but of the entire USSR. German troops entered the city on October 20, 1941.

The German leadership attached great importance to taking control over Donbass. Our industrial region played an important role in the development of the military economy of the Third Reich. At a meeting in August 1943, Hitler stressed the importance of keeping control over the industrial potential of Donbass and declared his readiness to destroy the region in case of losing control over it.

The success of Donbass offensive operation created favourable conditions for subsequent operations for the liberation of North Tavria, the southern part of Right-Bank Ukraine and the Crimea.

But the victory and final liberation of Donbass was preceded by almost 700 days of occupation. Human life in the occupied regions was absolutely worthless, death penalty was the only effective means of intimidation. During the Nazi regime, the local population was brutally killed by the military gendarmerie and the police. The slightest thing was followed by the execution. For example, sympathy for the Soviet government and the Red Army, active work in the past, family ties with communists and Komsomols, reading Soviet leaflets. Red Army soldiers were subject to mass executions when taken prisoner. The able-bodied population was forcibly taken to Germany. Thousands of young lives were claimed in concentration camps.

After the front line was moved beyond the industrial region, Stalino, like many other cities, was completely destroyed. The factories and the city centre laid in ruins. But the Nazis failed to destroy Donbass and break the spirit of its people. The active restoration of the Stalino industry began in the first post-war years. By the beginning of 1945, three-quarters of the mines had been renovated, the largest enterprises in the region started working. And by 1950 the city had reached the pre-war level of industrial production. The coal, metallurgical and chemical industries have been completely reconstructed and expanded, new enterprises started to appear in the city, working in the food and consumer goods industry.

75 years ago, the German-fascist invaders were chased away from this land by Soviet soldiers. In Donbass, history is precious, and the memory of the heroes is honoured, in the rest of Ukraine, we observe the reverse process. Kiev authorities do not learn the lessons of history. They rewrite and distort history, depriving the Ukrainian people of their roots and right for the future, which is impossible without learning the lessons of the past.

Donbass people are strong because they are proud of their glorious history and victories. Memorial events dedicated to the Day of Liberation of Donbass take place every year in the Donetsk People’s Republic: people lay flowers to the Eternal Flame, to monuments to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, people gather near the monuments. On this day “lessons of courage” are conducted in all educational institutions of the DPR, as well as meetings with veterans. Students and schoolchildren pay tribute to those who fought for the victory at the front and forged it in the rear, who courageously endured all the hardships of wartime, managed to bring Donbass out of ruins in the postwar years.

Every year, Donbass people pay tribute to those who shed blood in the battles for Donbass at Saur-Mogila back in 1943, and those who repeated the feat of fathers and grandfathers in 2014. For 75 years now, Donbass residents remember their liberators, those who defended our Motherland with their own lives and all mankind from fascism. Their strength and courage gave us the right to life and freedom. And this sacred right is honoured and remembered by today’s heroes who continue to defend their land, its freedom and independence.

In the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Ombudsman Office is responsible for observance of the rights and freedoms. So, one can file a complaint with the Ombudsman or make an appointment for a personal reception if his\her rights have been violated.

Citizens can apply to the Ombudsman in any suitable way. Now, the majority of applications are 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 the beginning of 2018, the Ombudsman received 4055 complaints. In the period of work between 1 and 7 July 2018, 1 person had personal reception of the Ombudsman, 18 persons received counselling by the Appeals department, 9 citizens received counselling by the Working Group on Issues of Temporary Displaced Persons, and 9 persons received legal counselling. 8 written appeals were approved for consideration, 10 – have been reviewed among those received earlier. 21 calls were received via hotlines, 10 applications were received via e-mail.

All appeals received can be divided into six categories: violations in criminal law – 298 appeals, violations in civil law– 314 appeals, administrative and legal violations against the DPR citizens – 5 appeals, social and humanitarian issues – 1977 appeals, issues connected with hostilities – 503 appeals, other issues – 958 appeals (diagram 1).

 

The number of appeals (complaints, applications) from citizens,  submitted to the Office of DPR Ombudsman as of 07.09.2018

 

Violations in criminal law

Issues of social and humanitarian affairs

Violations in civil law

issues connected with hostilities

Administrative and legal violations against citizens

other issues

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, benefits, disability, humanitarian aid – 489 appeals, temporary accommodation – 531 appeals, issues of housing legislation, protection of consumers of housing and public utility services – 188 appeals, migration legislation issues – 345 appeals, labour legislation issues – 165 appeals, healthcare issues – 115 appeals, guardianship and family law issues – 53 appeals, issues of education, culture and sport – 22 appeals, activities of public associations, organizations and trade unions, religious organizations – 24 appeals, land use and tenure – 12 appeals, the rights of servicemen and law enforcement officials – 33 appeals. (Diagram 2).

The number of appeals (complaints, applications) from citizens on social and humanitarian issues, received by the DPR Ombudsman`s Office as of 7.09.2018

 

pension and social payments, benefits, disability, humanitarian aid

migration legislation issues

guardianship and family law issues

temporary accommodation

labour legislation issues

issues of education, culture and sport

issues of housing legislation, protection of consumers of housing and public utility services

healthcare issues

activities of public associations, organizations and trade unions, religious organizations

land use and tenure

the rights of servicemen and law enforcement officials

The majority of complaints 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 7.09.2018

Donetsk

Dokuchaevsk

Kirovskoye

Torez

Ilovaisk

Amvrosyevka region

Starobeshevo region

Gorlovka

Yenakievo

Makeyevka

Hartsysk

Shakhtyorsk

Maryinka region

Telmanovo region

Debaltsevo

Zhdanovka

Snezhnoye

Zugres

Yasinovataya

Novoazovsk region

Other settlements

 

  1. Death toll, injuries 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 Donbass citizens’ rights by Kiev authorities: the right to life, to security of the person, to inviolability of the home.

On 31 August, as a result of a blast In Voroshilovskiy district of Donetsk, 12 persons sustained injuries of various severities, two people died.

Within the period between 31 August and 6 September 2018, 12 persons sustained injuries in the territory of the DPR as a result of armed aggression of the Ukrainian side.  

Within the period between 1 January and 6 September 2018, 240 persons sustained injuries of various severities in the territory of the DPR.

Within the period between 31 August and 6 September 2018 – 5 DPR servicemen died in the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic.   

Within the period between 1 January and 6 September 2018, 117 persons died in the territory of the DPR, including 8 women and 109 men, including 2 underage children.

To be specific, since the beginning of the armed conflict   4684 persons died. Among them, there are 613 women and 4071 men, including 78 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.

 

  1. Register of the prisoners of war, missing soldiers

and civilians

 This week the Ombudsman’s Office in the Donetsk People’s Republic didn’t receive any appeals on arrest.

Based on the updated figures as of 07.09.2018, 282 persons are held by the Ukrainian side including:

82 of those whose presence on the territory of Ukraine had been confirmed.

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

This week the Ombudsman’s Office in the Donetsk People’s Republic didn’t receive any appeals on missing persons.

As of 6 September 2018, 473 persons are considered missing. There is a possibility that they are held in Ukrainian captivity.

 

  1. Register of displaced persons and affected citizens.

At the time of the 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 centres).

Since the beginning of the conflict 5380 referrals for accommodation in social housing objects (dormitories, preventative clinics, health care centres etc.) have been issued, 137 of them – in 2018. With the coming into force of the Order of the Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic No. 137 of 24.04.2018, Territorial authorities in cities and districts are now responsible for accommodating affected civilians. Social housing objects, which used to carry out activities under the patronage of the Ombudsman Office, are authorized to supervise the authorities.

During the period of work between 1 and 6 September 2018, 9 persons have applied to the Ombudsman’s Office on the issues related to internally displaced persons. There are currently 1252 accommodation places available for IDPs in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

Since the beginning of the conflict, 7411 persons, including 1791 children under the age of eighteen have been registered as persons affected as a result of the conflict. 75 social housing objects (dormitories, preventative clinics, health care centres) have been opened in the territory of DPR. 52 of them operate, 23 of them are held in reserve. Currently, 2596 individuals live in social housing objects (dormitories, preventative clinics, health care centres) of the Donetsk Administration, including 495 underage children, 4815 persons live in the housing fund of the DPR, including 1296 children under eighteen.

 

  1.  Employment of DPR citizens

The Republican Employment Centre is the main institution responsible for providing jobs to the population.

As reported by the Centre, in the period from 1 January to 6 September 2018:

  • there were 36.3 thousand vacant positions registered in the Centre by employers;
  • there were 33.3 thousand job-seekers registered at the Employment Centre. Among them: 25.3 thousand have been employed (16.3 of them – on permanent positions, 9.0 – temporarily).
  • 299 job-seekers have undergone professional training facilitated by employment centres: 55 persons undergone training and 244 persons – retraining.

The training covered most demanded professions: electric and gas welder, plasterer, bricklayer, painter, roofer (roll-roofing and shingles), maintenance technician, automotive service technician, repair and maintenance electrician, operator of chemical treatment of water, furnace equipment inspector, boiler-house operator, stoker, seamstress, hairdresser, seller, chef.