Like many towns and villages in eastern Ukraine, Semenovka, a village near Sloviansk in Donetsk region, was badly damaged during fighting between May and July 2014. Many people have left for safer places in Ukraine or Russia.
CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / M. Dondyuk
Semenovka, Ukraine, December 2014.
Barchinai, who comes from Uzbekistan, was able to repair the roof and windows of her house with material provided by the ICRC. This allowed Barchinai, her three children and her husband to come back to their home after spending months in Kherson, near the Black Sea.
CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / M. Dondyuk
Lysychansk Clinic, Lugansk region, December 2014.
A doctor and nurse examine a boy in the paediatric ward. Lysychansk is one of many towns that suffered heavy damage in June 2014. The roof and windows of the clinic’s main building have now been repaired and treatment of patients has resumed. Lysychansk is hosting a large number of displaced persons, and they too rely on the clinic for treatment.
CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / M. Dondyuk
Shastye, Lugansk region, December 2014.
Volunteers help offload construction materials from ICRC vehicles. Shastye, a town of 13,000 inhabitants, is located a few hundred metres from the front line.
CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / M. Dondyuk
Nikolaevka, near Sloviansk, Donetsk region, December 2014.
Irina Romanenko lived in Donetsk, where she owned a small tailoring company. When fighting started, she lost many of her clients as they fled the constant shelling. Unemployed and frightened, she too fled, ending up in Nikolaevka.
Now Irina lives alone in a small apartment that she rents with the little money she makes as a freelance tailor. More than 200 displaced families have settled in Nikolaevka. In October and December, the ICRC distributed blankets and food to Irina and the other families, covering their basic needs for one or two months.
CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / M. Dondyuk
Red Cross office, Lysychansk, Lugansk region, December 2014.
Red Cross volunteers distribute bread. The local Red Cross is providing the most vulnerable displaced families with bread every day.
CC BY-NC-ND / ICRC / M. Dondyuk
Krasny Liman, December 2014.
Some of more than 2,700 displaced persons, most of whom have lost their homes. They are now living with relatives.
Fighting has again surged in many parts of eastern Ukraine in the last few weeks. The impact on civilians caught up in the fighting is made worse by the cold winter weather – and winters are harsh here. People whose houses have been damaged need immediate help, as do those who have fled the fighting. Taken in December 2014, these pictures show how Red Cross teams are providing emergency assistance and saving lives in eastern Ukraine.
