ReliefWeb

Highlights:

• In December, over one hundred cease fire violations were recorded daily along the ‘contact line’;

• Under the umbrella of UNHCR, UNICEF delivered 160 tons of education supplies and materials for schools and kindergartens in Luhansk, NGCA;

• Due to destroyed powerlines, Siverskyi Donets-Donbass Channel, which supplies bulk water to more than four million people in Donetsk Oblast, has temporarily reduced water supply by 50 per cent;

• UNICEF’s continuous supply of chemicals used for water treatment ensures access to safe drinking water for more than two million people in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts on both sides of the ‘contact line.’

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

Limited humanitarian access to and within the non-government-controlled areas (NGCAs) of eastern Ukraine remained a concern in December. The intensified hostilities along the ‘contact line’ continued to pose a serious risk to life, safety and security of civilians, especially children. The cumulative impact of the armed conflict combined with winter weather conditions continued to erode the coping capacity of local communities, increasing the vulnerability of children.An increase in the number of attacks on infrastructure (i.e. electricity, water, gas) resulted in interruption of vital services that affects millions of people in both Government and non-Government Controlled Areas. The growing concern is the public’s uninterrupted access to drinking water as watertreatment facilities situated on the contact line became a prevailing target during the reporting period, particularly in Donetsk Oblast.