ReliefWeb

Since reaching a peak in May 2018, active hostilities have levelled off with an average of 1,100 security incidents reported in Donetska and Luhanska oblasts per month. OHCHR recorded ten civilian casualties (two killed and eight injured) in November, which represented a 45 per cent decrease compared to October. In November alone, two cuts in power and water supplies further exacerbated the already harsh living conditions of 8,000 civilians in two towns along the ‘contact line’ as temperatures have dropped to well below zero. Vilne, a community of approximately 15 families in Luhanska oblast (GCA) located about two kilometres from the ‘contact line’, has been under sporadic intense shelling over the past few months. Constant insecurity has made it impossible to repair the local power lines damaged in October. Although some humanitarian assistance was provided, the remaining needs are still unknown as access was difficult and families were moving, including to NGCA, in search of safety and protection. Despite repeated calls to protect civilian infrastructure, the chlorine storage at the Donetsk Filter Station (DFS) came under fire again in a shelling incident on 7 November. Increased tensions at the Sea of Azov at the end of November triggered a 30-day imposition of martial law in 10 oblasts, neighboring the Russian Federation, including Donetska and Luhanska. While no major implications have been reported so far, humanitarians remain vigilant to ensure overall inter-agency preparedness in case of rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation.
On 21 November, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted the Action Plan on the implementation of the “Strategy for the Integration of Internally Displaced Persons and Implementation of Long-Term Solutions on Internal Displacement”, which was approved a year earlier in 2017. On 6 December, the law on Mine Action was passed by the Ukrainian parliament.