The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on Wednesday that it had sent humanitarian aid to Konstantinovka and Chasov Yar, two communities near Bakhmut where fighting has been particularly intense in recent weeks. Another ICRC convoy reaches Selidovo, a village close to the front line.
The ICRC said in a statement that as the convoy approached Konstantinovka, Chasovoy Yar and Selidovo, the extent of the destruction in the area became apparent. Homes, hospitals, schools and infrastructure were badly damaged. The humanitarian situation for those who did not have time to flee is extremely difficult and the incessant fighting prevents them from accessing the most necessary services.
Most of the people who could have left have already been evacuated. According to the ICRC, around 10% of Konstantinovka’s population are internally displaced people from nearby villages who are temporarily housed in the town, while only 1,500 civilians remain in Chasovoy Yar and around 800 in Selidovo. were displaced from the frontline villages.
The ICRC supports humanitarian centers in Konstantinovka and Chasovy Yar, where residents of Bakhmut and other frontline towns stop before continuing to safer areas. Since September, these points have been provided with food, hygiene kits, water containers, heating equipment and generators.
In its communication, the ICRC expressed its deep concern over the situation in Bakhmut and surrounding communities around the front line and the suffering of the civilian population caused by the ongoing hostilities.
