Highlights
● Sporadic fighting continues around Donetsk city, Shyrokyne and Avdiivka in Donetska oblast as well as Shastia, Stanitsa Luhanska and Papasna in Luhanska oblast.
● Two civilians were killed and another injured by landmines in non-government controlled areas of Donetska oblast and another civilian was injured near Sievierodonetsk in Luhanska oblast last week.
● Funding for humanitarian operations remains low: only 29 percent of US$316 required for Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) 2015 is funded or pledged.
Situation overview
Shelling and exchanges of fire between the Ukrainian armed forces and armed groups continued in several locations. These include areas around Donetsk, and near Shyrokyne, 20km east of Mariupol, Peski, Opytnoe, and Avdiivka in Donetska oblast (province). In Luhanska oblast, fighting and shelling was reported in Shastia, Stanitsa Luhanska and Papasna areas. Localised shelling continues to damage basic services infrastructure, leaving many civilians without access to safe water, power and other essential services. The Governor of the Luhanska oblast said, on 25 May, that a main water supply pipe was damaged due to fighting in Rodina village, near the line of contact between government forces and armed groups. This will result in a significant part of non-government controlled areas from Pervomaisk to Kransiy Luch (including Stakhanov, Bryanka, Alchevsk, Antratsit, Kirovsk) remaining without water supply. On 26 May, the gas pipeline was damaged due to shelling near Lobachove village, with maintenance unable to start due to the threat of new fighting in the area.
All this comes against the backdrop of an increase in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) across Ukraine. On 27 May, the number of IDPs registered by the Ministry of Social Policy (MoSP) reached 1,315,625 people. This is an increase of almost 16,000 people compared to the previous week.
Ukraine is in the "top ten" of countries in terms of the number of IDPs, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). Similarly, the number of Ukrainian nationals who have fled to neighbouring countries continues to rise. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), by 28 May about 867,000 Ukrainians had sought asylum, residence permits or other forms of legal stay in neighbouring countries – an increase of about 10,000 people over the past two weeks. This means that since April 2014, up to 2.2 million Ukrainians, including registered IDPs and those who fled the country, have been uprooted by the conflict.
Unexploded ordnances (UXOs) and landmines in the conflict-affected area continue to pose a major threat to the lives of civilians. Over the past week, reports received indicate that two civilians were killed and another injured by a landmine explosion near Illovaisk, in non-government controlled areas of Donetska oblast. On 25 May, one civilian was injured after stepping on a landmine in the tree line close to a trolleybus depot in Sievierodonetsk in Luhanska oblast. Some residents report presence of mines between Hryhorivka and Marynivka, in the non- government controlled areas of Donetska oblast. A resident reported having suffered serious injuries after he stepped on a landmine in an agricultural field located between Hryhorivka and Novopetrivka (80km east of Donetsk city). Village inhabitants reportedly collect UXOs and mines by hand and store them at the edge of the agricultural field.
Between mid-April 2014 and 30 May 2015, at least 6,417 people have been documented as killed and 15,962 as On 26 May, the Governor of Luhanska oblast issued a new order on tightening control over the contact line to prevent unauthorised crossing by pedestrians and vehicles outside of identified corridors. The order instructs law enforcement entities “to take comprehensive measures for stopping unauthorized passage of pedestrians across the line of contact in the following directions: Stanitsa Luhanska – Luhansk; Shastia – Luhansk; Zhovte – Lobachevo; Tryokhizbenka – Slovyanoserbsk”. In addition, the order states that by 28 May, ferry operations between Lobachevo and Zhovte settlements should be dismantled.
Meanwhile, the shipment of humanitarian cargo and movement of humanitarian staff into non-government controlled areas continues only through Kurakhove checkpoint in Donetska oblast. Logistics Cluster vehicles are not required to join the queue of other vehicles as ‘humanitarian lane’ where checkpoint staff allows Logistic Cluster trucks to pass freely after inspection and paperwork has been established. Between 28 April and 27 May, 157 metric tonnes (MT) of humanitarian cargo were transported by the Logistics Cluster into non-government controlled areas of Donetska and Luhanska oblasts. This mainly included hygiene kits, medical equipment, constructing materials, clothes, kitchen sets.