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Crossing the Contact Line: September 2020 Snapshot [EN/UK]

Countries
Ukraine
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R2P
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Publication date

NUMBERS AND TRENDS

During the month, crossing the contact line remained possible only through two EECPs, at a level considerably below the pre-COVID period. The number of crossings remains approximately the same: nearly 81,000 in August and 86,000 in September.

Changes in the rules for crossing the contact line and transportation of goods have been introduced at the end of September by de-facto authorities in Luhansk oblast:
Residents of NGCA in Luhanska oblast can now only cross Stanytsia Luhanska EECP towars GCA and back to NGCA once a month.

NGCA regulations on transportation of goods through EECP are now similar with GCA rules. Three different categories of goods have been definied: allowed without limitation, allowed with limitation, prohibited. The transportation of goods for commercial purposes is prohibited.

Since 18 September, people have no longer spent the nighttime in the SES tents at Novotroitske EECP. With the initiative of Donetska Oblast State Administration, people who await the crossing in the SES tent now are asked to move to a Socio-Psychological rehabilitation centre in Druzhkovka.

Every day up to 10 persons stayed for one night under a shed in the neutral area at Stanytsia Luhanska EECP: they were not allowed to return home to the NGCA by de-facto authorities, as people had no confirmation of NGCA residence registration. Thereafter, some of them managed to provide certificates from a house maintenance company confirming their NGCA residence registration.

People continued to face problems with installing and running the app “Act at Home” at Novotroitske and Stanytsia Luhanska EECPs. Sometimes the app gets overloaded, and users are requested to activate the app later. Also, an error window pops up after entering a mobile number. Smartphones with an operating system older than Android 4.4 are unable to install the app.

At least 400 people were provided with help from R2P monitors in the installing and running the app “Act at home”. Moreover, R2P monitors have assisted about 200 people with getting a permission for crossing from the Coordination Group.

During September, 16,147 vulnerable elderly persons were provided with transport support at Stanytsia Luhanska EECP by NGO Proliska e-vehicle.