Freezing temperatures have arrived in Ukraine and the approaching December-February months represent the core period for extreme weather conditions. Independent forecast centers* predict that Ukraine will experience winter conditions that fall within monthly historic climatological patterns with 20 or more days of freezing temperatures and precipitation limited to 3-4 inches, on average, during this time frame.
In late September 2015 the majority of international aid agencies, including Doctors Without Borders and the United Nations, were expelled from non-government controlled portions of Donetsk and Luhansk. While the UN’s expulsion from Luhansk ended in late October, most international NGOs still lack access. Only one international NGO has been allowed to provide aid in Donetsk, leaving residents and internally displaced persons there reliant primarily on Russian or local Ukrainian relief. Over 16,000 metric tons of aid items, including vital winterization materials, are blocked from a large percentage of the most vulnerable populations.