Eastern Ukraine: Humanitarian disaster looms as food aid blocked

[DeSwiss]

Source: Amnesty International

24, December 2014


[font size=1 color=gray]Humanitarian convoy blocked on a checkpoint near Donetsk on 18 December. © Rinat
Akhmetov Foundation[/font]

Pro-Kyiv volunteer battalions are increasingly blocking humanitarian aid into eastern Ukraine in a move which will exacerbate a pending humanitarian crisis in the run up to Christmas and New Year, said Amnesty International.

“As winter sets in, the already desperate situation in eastern Ukraine is being made even worse by the volunteer battalions preventing food aid and medicine from reaching those in need. It is no secret that the region is facing a humanitarian disaster with many already at risk of starvation,” said Denis Krivosheev, acting Director of Europe and Central Asia for Amnesty International.

“These battalions often act like renegade gangs and urgently need to be brought under control. Denying food to people caught up in a conflict is against international law and the perpetrators must be held to account.”

Amnesty International has received information that the pro-Kyiv battalions, which include Dnipro-1 and Aidar, have blocked aid entering territories controlled by the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DNR and LNR).

Read more: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/eastern-ukraine-humanitarian-disaster-looms-food-aid-blocked-2014-12-23

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- Our new allies learn from us so quickly. Stick to 'em when they're down.......

[uhnope]

1. hmm I wonder if would help if Russia stopped waging war and occupation there

which created this problem in the first place.
But I know that kind of thinking is verboten in Putinland

[Duckhunter935]

2. Russia broke the east and Crimea

They can damn well feed and supply them with food, electricity and heat. You guys keep saying the east wants nothing to do with Ukraine. Guess they are getting what they have been asking for. I do feel sorry for the many in the east and Crimea, probably the majority that never wanted to secede from Ukraine.

[cosmicone]

3. This will be a perfect trigger

for Russian tanks to supply the humanitarian aid necessary.

If Svoboda and Right Sektor are hoping to kill innocent people of starvation for political aims, it is a war crime. I wonder how many in EU would just wait and see before people start dying.

Remove stupid sanctions against Russia now before China and Russia form a formidable anti-West axis.

[Duckhunter935]

4. Russia is already

supplying "humanitarian aid" via the common border and is not being blocked by Ukraine. Curious how much actually makes it to the needy. The leaders and rebels seem very well fed and clothed though.

[newthinking]

9. Yes, but can you explain why you support *any* blockade of humanitarian aid?

Your stance on this is extremely emotional and, frankly, immoral. I would move just a bit off that high horse. There is nothing wrong with anyone sending aid to people under duress and no excuse in the world is appropriate to block it.

That is the point Amnesty is making.

[Duckhunter935]

10. It should go to the Red Cross

and the distribution should be monitored so it goes to those truly in need. I only stated how the east wanted nothing of Ukraine and now they have exactly what they have been asking for. Hard yes, but true.

[newthinking]

11. Right. In a perfect world. You can't defend your

stand in moral terms. There is only one reason these battalions are stopping this aid: Ethnic hatred.

Hatred gets in the way of of logic.

The same problems happen in other war torn regions but aid is distributed by all kinds of organizations besides official orgs. Often the alternative efforts can be even more effective.

In this case:

**The rebels will have food and a place to sleep no matter if the trucks are let through or not.

**The drivers are not going to leave the trucks, they will distribute the aid directly to people in the streets. They (and the media) would see what happens with it.

**There is no moral reason to stop food and appropriate emergency supplies (blankets, water, etc). There is nothing in the reporting nor in the statements from the batallion leaders that indicates anything but those kinds of materials; and anything not of direct aid (generators, whatever) could be separated and sent back.

[Duckhunter935]

13. Not hatred, prove that statement

There is only one reason these battalions are stopping this aid: Ethnic hatred.

No, there is evidence that the aid is not getting to the people but the well fed pro-Russian rebels. Not ethnic hatred, Since many of the people affected are of Ukrainian nationality and are indeed ethnic Ukrainians.

**The rebels will have food and a place to sleep no matter if the trucks are let through or not.

Yes, they seem to be getting that from stealing private property, robbing banks, looting stores and stealing Russian aid items. That is how all of those new Russian ration packages are getting to the front line troops the rebels and are for the starving population not the soldiers.

**The drivers are not going to leave the trucks, they will distribute the aid directly to people in the streets. They (and the media) would see what happens with it.

Proof, will the rebels allow that, what media?

I agree, the aid especially food and water and warm winter clothing should be allowed in but only if it can be carefully controlled, preferably by the Red Cross or UN.

[bemildred]

5. Merry Christmas. nt

[Comrade Grumpy]

6. "“These battalions often act like renegade gangs and urgently need to be brought under control."

“These battalions often act like renegade gangs and urgently need to be brought under control. Denying food to people caught up in a conflict is against international law and the perpetrators must be held to account.”

It seems like there is plenty of thuggery to go around. Kiev's neo-Nazi storm troopers...

[Duckhunter935]

7. not to mention all of the thugs in the east

and Crimea, right?

[newthinking]

12. In Crimea there is no disorder. Nor a police state. It looks just like it did last year.

Your ignorance is astounding. How can you make statements like that you have no knowledge of? Because some other ignorant or state propaganda organ told you so?

[Duckhunter935]

14. tell that to the Crimean Tatars

You know the ones that have been under a police state and have had their leaders deported and buildings seized. Parades and marches forcibly stopped. Tell that to the missing and jailed people who peacefully protest and are killed or jailed. tell that to the LGBT community of Crimea who are now beaten up and jailed.

There is no disorder because it is now a police state.

Not quite like last year, water shortages, electricity shortages, Cell phone outages, banking problems, food problems. Putin had to order government employees to vacation there to try and prop up the failing tourist trade.

I get my news from many sources not just RT or Sputnik that are paid propaganda outlets for Putin.

[newthinking]

15. The "Tatar's" are not a single entity. There were links to Jihadists involved

It is real easy (and shallow) to make it sound like the matter is about bigotry. Surely there are bigots in the local population (just as in the US), but the situation with the Tatar's is complicated by hardline philosophies and jihadist connections amongst some members.

There was an extremist faction already amongs them before the annexation. But they called for Jihad during the period the ballot occurred. And some members had al-quaida links.

http://www.vocativ.com/world/ukraine-world/al-qaeda-offshoot-syria-calls-jihad-ukraine/


"We have Islamists, Wahhabis, Salafis, groups who have fought [with the opposition] in Syria. They say: 'An enemy has entered our land and we are ready'. We can't stop people who want to die with honour."

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/17bd814e-a7ab-11e3-9c7d-00144feab7de,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2F17bd814e-a7ab-11e3-9c7d-00144feab7de.html%3Fsiteedition%3Dintl&siteedition=intl

[Duckhunter935]

16. And nazis too i assume you

Will say next. What a croc of an excuse to subject the Tatar population to the Russian boot.

[newthinking]

17. No nazi's that I have heard of. Russia actually has more lenient policies regarding links to

terrorism than the US. They have an active program where even if somebody "tries out" or mixes with these groups, as long as they have not killed anyone they can have amnesty. Not something we do. If you trained with a jihadi group or even less you will serve a serious sentence even if you realize the mistake and attempt to return.

I know it is much simpler to view things through a simple "good vs evil" lens, but don't try to pass that on to others who have done their research.

[Duckhunter935]

18. You do that with Kiev

All nazi fascist thugs from what I see from your posts.

[Duckhunter935]

20. as long as it not against Russia, even if no one killed

Amendments to the Russian criminal code will soon impose penalties of up to five years for talking about any changes to the territory of Russia. The amendment, which will take effect May 9, will make it illegal to openly speak about Crimea returning to Ukraine. It will also, for that matter, make it illegal to speak of Crimea becoming independent or have any other discussion on the status of Crimea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already signed the order bringing Crimea into Russia, so the law will affect Crimean citizens automatically. As long as the law lasts, no Crimean may ever do exactly what Russia supported them in doing when pro-Russian Crimeans voted to leave the nation they were unhappy with to join with another.

Read more at http://guardianlv.com/2014/03/crimea-citizens-to-receive-possible-5-year-jail-terms-for-anyone-who-talks-of-belonging-to-ukraine-or-independence/#YuVrrsBSz0D0Gp2s.99

More missing

The three activists were not the only ones who disappeared without a trace or were seen being kidnapped after the annexation. At least 15 people have gone missing since March, according to a recent report released by the Human Rights Watch, the New York-based international rights monitoring group.

Their disappearances were part of a broader crackdown on pro-Ukrainian, anti-Russian activists and Crimean Tatars, a Muslim minority mostly opposed to the annexation.

However, the final number of those still missing is likely to be higher, HRW says. Soviet-era dissident and a most revered Tatar community leader Mustafa Dzhemilev says the missing number 17. Ukrainian authorities insist the number is 21.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/12/disappearing-crimea-anti-russia-activists-201412110405525656.html

[rogerashton]

8. Russian support for the "separatists,"

bad as it may be, does not excuse war crimes by the "pro-Kyiv" militias. Nor do Kyiv's actions justify similar acts by the eastern "separatists" or the Russians. Do we have to take sides in this? There are no good guys east of the Bug.

[quadrature]

19. the invaders need to supply food to the local people...nt