The United Nations first aid convoy arrived in the area of Soledar town in eastern Ukraine today. “Our colleagues in Ukraine have just arrived in government-controlled areas near the eastern administrative region of Donetsk,” Jens Laerke, spokesman for UN agency OCHA, told reporters in Geneva. It was the first joint convoy of several humanitarian organizations since the beginning of the war.
The relief caravan, made up of three trucks, left Dnipro in the morning and brought food, hygiene items and medical supplies for 800 people. According to Laerke, helpers began unloading the shipment near the embattled town.
Humanitarian aid to the civilian population
Recent fighting in and around Soledar has destroyed large areas, “that’s why the people living there are in urgent need of humanitarian aid,” Laerke said. The aid delivery is only for the civilians still living there.
The UN hopes to be able to send more aid convoys to the area, but this always depends on the security situation, which must be reassessed every day. It therefore remains unclear whether a relief convoy could reach the devastated town of Soledar.
Russia says it has taken Soledar. Ukraine disagrees, saying the battle for the city continues.