OVERVIEW
The level of violence in the conflict area in eastern Ukraine has increased substantially in the last weeks, triggering additional humanitarian needs. The increasing proximity of fighting positions along the 'contact line' makes the situation highly volatile and prone to further deterioration. Checkpoints in Zaitseve and Stanytsia Luhanska had been forced to close for several hours on separate days. This impacts on people’s supply of cash and food as well as access to basic services. During the first 22 days of June, some 590,000 people crossed through the five operating checkpoints, over 25 percent more than during the same period in May.
The deterioration of the security situation also further impedes access to basic services. Heavy shelling hampers the regular operations of the strategic water infrastructure in Donetsk, Verkhnokalmiuska filtration station, first level pump station of the Pivdennodonbaskyi water pipeline and Horlivka (NGCA), which serves 3.9 million people across the ‘contact line’. Moreover, ongoing ceasefire violations affect repair works at the Dokuchaievsk water pumping station (NGCA), leaving 8,000 people without drinking water both in GCA and NGCA. Also, increased insecurity complicates access to health care and medicines in the ‘grey zone’.
On 8 June, the Government adopted amendments to Resolution 509, cancelling the need for State Migration Service (SMS) to stamp IDP certificates; and transferring IDP registration to local authorities. This is a positive development to which humanitarian partners' continuous advocacy efforts contributed. However, the problem of the suspension of social payments to IDPs remains unresolved. Thousands of IDPs continue to struggle to get their payments reinstated. Resolution 509 was adopted together with Resolution 637, which legalises the contested suspension of IDP payments. Humanitarian community continues advocacy to de-link payment of social benefits (including pensions) from the IDP status.