The overview of the current social and humanitarian situation, within the territory of the Donetsk People`s Republic as a result of hostilities between 25 and 31 August 2018

The war spares no one, women or elderly, those who attacked civilians with guns or those who hid in basements days and nights, shuddering from shelling. But the war has its scariest part – little Donbass children whose lives ended at such a young age.

Between 29 and 31 August, on the eve of the Day of Knowledge, a Republican Action took place named “They will never hear the school bell ringing”. It was devoted to children who died as a result of military operations in Donbass. Through the Action, every year Donbass citizens remind the whole world about their pain, about children who will never come to school on September 1^st, and who will never sit at the desk and hear the school bell ringing. Their souls are in heaven now. Their families will have to bear the burden of grief and pain for the rest of their lives.

Thousands of Donbass citizens come to the “Alley of Angels” to pay tribute to the memory of children killed by Ukrainian forces, lay flowers and toys to the memorial to share the common grief and not let the perfidious crimes of Ukrainian authorities be erased from memory. Schools of the Republic supported the Action. On this day, the school bell rang in educational institutions for those who will never sit at the classroom desk, never become distinguished scientists, talented musicians, and will never be able to glorify their laborious and valiant land.

Citizens supported the Action, too. They drawlingly sounded the horn of their automobiles so that not only the Republic but the whole world could hear this sound and remember the gone Angels, hoping that even those people living in the remotest corners of the world would understand – Ukraine is killing its citizens, its potential, its future.

All innocent children, who have been killed, the victims of the monstrous aggression of Ukraine against Donbass, are angels who flew to a different, a better world, where there is no horror of war, pain and betrayal of adults loudly declaring their desire for peace, but in fact fueling the hatred more and more.

During the hostilities in the territory of Donbass, 78 innocent children have been killed. They will never celebrate the holiday. They were killed with bullets and fragments of shells, launched against peaceful cities and villages by Ukrainian forces. Many small residents of the Republic were injured, both physically and morally, some lost their relatives. Probably, there is no child who does not know the terrible word “war”. If the government of Ukraine does not come to its senses, if it will not stop the senseless killing of its people for the sake of ratings and power ambitions, the number of affected civilians will increase. Ukraine is the country that claims its democratic values, the country that is the geographical centre of Europe, in fact, uses medieval methods to combat the dissenters, attacking defenceless Donbass children. Once a democratic and united country deprives its inhabitants of the most important thing – the right to life.

People of the Donetsk People’s Republic remember and will always honour their Little Angels. This is our shared pain, the common grief of the steel region of metallurgists and miners, embodied and immortalized in forged roses and shotshells, crowned with white pigeons – a symbol of peace and purity of children’s hearts. It is of fundamental importance for every resident of the Donetsk region that the Ukrainian authorities take responsibility and be punished for their crimes against civilians. We do not have the right to forget children who are no longer with us, but we have no right to stop, we must do everything to make the Donbass children grow, enjoy life, learn the outward things, reveal their talents. It is our duty to create a safe and prosperous future for a generation that has matured too quickly and never experienced a carefree childhood. The duty of every adult in the Republic is to protect and defend the younger generation, and the state’s task is to ensure a good future for children and protect their rights.

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 3980 complaints. In the period of work between 25 and 31 August 2018, 53 persons received counselling by the Appeals department, 10 citizens received counselling by the Working Group on Issues of Temporary Displaced Persons, and 8 persons received legal counselling. 4 written appeals were approved for consideration, 6 – have been reviewed among those received earlier. 33 calls were received via hotlines, 16 applications were received via e-mail.

All appeals received can be divided into six categories: violations in criminal law – 293 appeals, violations in civil law– 302 appeals, administrative and legal violations against the DPR citizens – 5 appeals, social and humanitarian issues – 1941 appeals, issues connected with hostilities – 494 appeals, other issues – 945 appeals (diagram 1).

The number of appeals (complaints, applications) from citizens,  submitted to the Office of DPR Ombudsman as of 31.08.2018

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 – 485 appeals, temporary accommodation – 524 appeals, issues of housing legislation, protection of consumers of housing and public utility services – 180 appeals, migration legislation issues – 336 appeals, labour legislation issues – 160 appeals, healthcare issues – 112 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 31.08.2018

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 31.08.2018

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.

As a result of military operations in Novoazovsk region, a DPR serviceman born in 1998 sustained non-penetrating shrapnel wound to the chest.

As a result of shelling in Kominternovo village, Novoazovsk region, on 30 August, a civilian woman born in 1936 sustained mine-blast trauma, multiple shrapnel wounds to the face, perforating wound to the shoulder, to left thigh.

Within the period between 24 and 30 August 2018, 2 persons sustained injuries in the territory of the DPR as a result of armed aggression of the Ukrainian side (1 DPR serviceman and one civilian woman).  

Within the period between 1 January and 30 August 2018, 228 persons sustained injuries of various severities in the territory of the DPR. Among them, there were 143 DPR servicemen, 53 civilian men, 30 civilian women and 2 underage children.

Within the period between 24 and 30 August 2018 – 2 persons died in the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic (one DPR serviceman and one civilian man, who died on 28 August in Dokuchaevsk as a result of a direct hit of an ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile).   

Within the period between 1 January and 30 August 2018, 112 persons died in the territory of the DPR, including 8 women and 104 men, including 2 underage children.

To be specific, since the beginning of the armed conflict   4679 persons died. Among them, there are 613 women and 4066 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 

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 31.08.2018, 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 31 August 2018, 473 persons are considered missing. There is a possibility that they are held in Ukrainian captivity.

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 25 and 31 August 2018, 10 persons have applied to the Ombudsman’s Office on the issues related to internally displaced persons. There are currently 1247 accommodation places available for IDPs in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

Since the beginning of the conflict, 7418 persons, including 1797 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 (according to the information provided by Territorial commissions of cities and districts, the number of housing objects held in reserve was changed). Currently, 2601 individuals live in social housing objects (dormitories, preventative clinics, health care centres) of the Donetsk Administration, including 497 underage children, 4817 persons live in the housing fund of the DPR, including 1300 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 31 August 2018:

• there were 34.6 thousand vacant positions registered in the Centre by employers;
• there were 32.1 thousand job-seekers registered at the Employment Centre. Among them: 24.3 thousand have been employed (15.4 of them – on permanent positions, 8.9 – temporarily).
• 2299 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.