Ukraine: ICRC delivers much-needed aid to civilians near Bakhmut

As the convoy moved closer to Kostiantynivka, Chasiv Yar, and Selydove, the extent of destruction in the area became evident. Homes, hospitals, schools, and infrastructure have sustained heavy damage. The humanitarian situation is dire for those who have not fled, and the constant hostilities prevents them from accessing the most basic services.

“We have a lot of elderly people. They really need assistance, especially because they have low pensions. This help is very important. Hygiene products are very expensive now for pensioners, and stores in our areas don’t get stocked. We don’t have any opportunity to visit the nearby town because there is no bus to go there,” said Daniil, a 19-year-old man living in a nearby village.

As a direct consequence of the current hostilities, the humanitarian needs of civilians around the frontline keep rising. Most people who could leave have already been evacuated. Around 10% of the population of Kostiantynivka are internally displaced people from neighbouring villages who are temporarily settled in the city, while only 1,500 civilians are left in Chasiv Yar and some 800 in Selydove. Those are mainly elderly, low-mobility, or people with disabilities, as well as civilians who refuse to leave their homes or have been displaced from frontline villages.

The ICRC convoy brought to Kostiantynivka and nearby villages more than 1,500 hygiene kits containing essential supplies like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, sanitary pads, and shaving kits, as well as 800 solar lamps and hundreds of blankets for residents and displaced people. In Selydove, 17 tons of food – including rice, pasta, canned goods, and other supplies – and one ton of hygiene items were delivered. Local officials estimate that the food supplies will be enough to feed civilians remaining in this community for a month. 6,000 litres of drinking water were provided to Chasiv Yar, which local authorities expect will serve the needs of people there for 10 days.

The ICRC is supporting humanitarian hubs in Kostiantynivka and Chasiv Yar, where displaced people from Bakhmut and other frontline cities stay before continuing their journey to safer areas. Since September, these hubs have been provided with food parcels, hygiene kits, water tanks, heating material, and generators to ensure that they can properly welcome people fleeing the moving frontline.

The ICRC is deeply concerned by the situation in Bakhmut and nearby communities around the frontline and the deep civilian suffering caused by constant military hostilities. “It is a really difficult situation here; it’s loud and scary. Yesterday a rocket flew over our heads. We are not living but surviving,” said Nikolai, a resident of Verolybivka.

The ICRC appeals to the belligerents to respect international humanitarian law, notably by allowing humanitarian aid in and ensuring that civilians under their control have access to assistance and that those not part of the fight are protected from targeted attacks wherever they are.

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