On Tuesday, during a press briefing in New York, the UN Secretary-General’s press secretary, Stéphane Dujarric, said that UN aid workers were concerned about the situation of the civilian population who remained in the town of Bakhmut, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.
“Our partners on the ground have reported that around 4,000 civilians – 73,000 lived here before the war – remain in the town,” Dujarric said. Most of them are hiding in basements and bomb shelters. The security situation remains tense, access to the area is very difficult for humanitarian organizations, the inhabitants must therefore make do with these basic necessities which were previously delivered to Bakhmut.
Dujarric said the city’s water supply, electricity and heating are not working, as civilian infrastructure has been damaged.
“We emphasize that the civilian population must be protected and given the opportunity to safely leave the area of hostilities in the direction they themselves have chosen,” Dujarric said.
According to him, in recent days in the Donetsk region, several civilians, including children, were killed and injured on both sides of the front line. Such reports came from the Ukrainian authorities, as well as from territories that the Ukrainian authorities do not control. Health and education facilities were damaged on both sides of the front line.
In February, the UN sent six humanitarian aid convoys – water, food, shelter materials – to the Donetsk region to help around 77,000 civilians.
