The overview of the current social and humanitarian situation, within the territory of the Donetsk People`s Republic as a result of hostilities between 15 and 21 September 2018

Peace is a necessary condition for the security of states and peoples.

The United Nations, created at the initiative of the USSR and other countries of the anti-Hitler coalition at the end of the war, the most destructive of all that had ever been experienced by humanity, became the real embodiment of the universal desire for peace and peaceful coexistence. One of the main tasks of this organization is to facilitate the establishment of good-neighbourly relations between states and the preservation of peace.

The International Day of Peace was approved by the UN General Assembly in 1981 “… with a view to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace within and among all nations and people,” the Resolution says. Twenty years later, the General Assembly decided to mark the day of a global cease-fire and the renunciation of violence annually on 21 September, through education and public-awareness campaigns, and cooperation in ensuring a worldwide ceasefire.

2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 70th anniversary of UN peacekeeping operations. On the International Day of Peace, every person should think about the most important problem of the relationship between peace and human rights.

Armed conflicts claim a huge number of human lives and undermine the foundations upon which society is based. First of all, these are the systems of primary education, healthcare, justice, and the maintenance of law and order. In the conflict zone, gross violations of human rights occur.

Escaping violence in “hot spots”, millions of people become refugees or displaced persons. Hundreds of thousands of children living in war zones cannot enjoy the right to education, people lack housing and medical care. Because of the lawlessness that occurs in wartime, because of the violence used in the conflict zone as a tactic of war, it becomes impossible to exercise the right to a fair trial, which creates conditions for such abuses as the use of illegal methods of interrogation and torture.

But, the most terrible thing is the death of people, whose fundamental right – the right to life – is violated.

The International Day of Peace is a special holiday for Donbass residents. For more than four years the Ukrainian government has been waging a war against its own people, which came to power as a result of the coup d’etat in February 2014. For disagreement with inculcated political ideals, the cities and settlements of the Republic are subjected to shelling by Ukraine. In this turbulent time, the most important thing one can wish people is peace. Donbass people defend their right to peace, the right to freedom in order to build a Republic where people can live in dignity.

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 4248 complaints. In the period of work between 15 and 21 September 2018, 9 attended personal reception of the Ombudsman, 30 persons received counselling by the Appeals department, 16 citizens received counselling by the Working Group on Issues of Temporary Displaced Persons, and 5 persons received legal counselling. 14 written appeals were approved for consideration, 13 – have been reviewed among those received earlier. 21 calls were received via hotlines, 9 applications were received via e-mail.

All appeals received can be divided into six categories: violations in criminal law – 306 appeals, violations in civil law– 343 appeals, administrative and legal violations against the DPR citizens – 5 appeals, social and humanitarian issues – 2079 appeals, issues connected with hostilities – 521 appeals, other issues – 994 appeals (diagram 1).

The number of appeals (complaints, applications) from citizens,  submitted to the Office of DPR Ombudsman as of 21.09.2018

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 – 521 appeals, temporary accommodation – 543 appeals, issues of housing legislation, protection of consumers of housing and public utility services – 222 appeals, migration legislation issues – 352 appeals, labour legislation issues – 178 appeals, healthcare issues – 118 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 – 25 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 21.09.2018

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 21.09.2018

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 14 September, during the shelling against Sakhanka village, Novoazovsk region, by Ukrainian forces, a DPR serviceman born in 1972 sustained non-penetrating shrapnel wound to the right side of the chest.

As a result of shelling in Staromikhailovka village, Kirovskiy district of Donetsk, a DPR serviceman born in 1986 sustained mine-blast trauma, multiple penetrating shrapnel wounds to the chest, to limbs and to the head.

On 20 September, as a result of military actions in Novoazovsk region, a DPR serviceman born in 1985 sustained mine-blast trauma, multiple shrapnel wounds to his face, to his right shin and both feet.

Within the period between 14 and 20 September 2018, 3 persons sustained injuries in the territory of the DPR as a result of armed aggression of the Ukrainian side, all of the victims are DPR servicemen.   

Within the period between 1 January and 20 September 2018, 248 persons sustained injuries of various severities in the territory of the DPR.

Within the period between 14 and 20 September 2018, 4 men died in the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic.    

Within the period between 1 January and 20 September 2018, 122 persons died in the territory of the DPR, including 8 women and 110 men, including 2 underage children.

To be specific, since the beginning of the armed conflict   4689 persons died. Among them, there are 613 women and 4076 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.

2. Register of the prisoners of war, missing soldiers

and civilians

 Based on the updated figures as of 21.09.2018, 283 persons are held by the Ukrainian side including:

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

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

As of 21 September 2018, 445 persons are considered missing. There is a possibility that they are held in Ukrainian captivity. 2 persons have been removed from the list of the missing, as there is no need to search for them. Another 26 people have been transferred to the list of the missing in the Lugansk People’s Republic.

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

3. 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 15 and 21 September 2018, 16 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, 7420 persons, including 1814 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. 51 of them operate, 24 of them are held in reserve. The status of one social housing object has been changed to reserved, displaced persons living there moved to other social housing objects. Currently, 2605 individuals live in social housing objects (dormitories, preventative clinics, health care centres) of the Donetsk Administration, including 499 underage children, 4815 persons live in the housing fund of the DPR, including 1315 children under eighteen.

4. 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 21 September 2018:

• there were 38.0 thousand vacant positions registered in the Centre by employers;
• there were 34.9 thousand job-seekers registered at the Employment Centre. Among them: 26.6 thousand have been employed (17.4 of them – on permanent positions, 9.2 – temporarily).
• 308 job-seekers have undergone professional training facilitated by employment centres: 55 persons undergone training and 253 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.