Restoring Donbas: main events October 19-25

12:17 / 25 Oct. 2015 / 730

In DPR prepare for the “local elections”, many settlements of Donbas are almost completely destroyed and thrown by inhabitants, and IDPs can finally lose the right to vote at the upcoming local elections. We will tell about these and other key news in our weekly review.

Situation on the part of Donbas, under Ukrainian control

This week it became known that the approximate sum of war losses in the Luhansk region makes 5 billion UAH. Thus in the region more than 7 thousand houses are damaged, nearly 500 houses are destroyed completely.

Serious losses during the conflict were in industry of the region and, as a result, all Ukrainian industries. So, the volume of industrial loses in Ukraine from the beginning of anti-terrorist operation is estimated almost at 12% of GDP. Most of all losses, according to economists, in coal mining — 50%. 25% made losses in metallurgy and mechanical engineering.

Coal branch in current situation goes through really difficult times when traditional schemes of production and realization of raw materials are actually destroyed, and new often have opaque schemes. So, last week there was information that the Tsentrenergo state company signed the contract with actually nonexistent “Mine of Kiselyov” in Donetsk region on purchasing 1,2 million tons of coal. It is reported that this mine in 2011 was included by the order of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 912-r to the list of the unprofitable coal-mining enterprises which are subjects to elimination.

Meanwhile the current ceasefire shows positive shifts in life of the region and in particular — in its infrastructure. Last week it became known that since October 25 the additional train No. 234/233 “Kiev-Konstantinovka” will follow. Departure from Konstantinovka will be on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 17:30. From Kiev the train will depart on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 21:18.

On uncontrollable part of Donbas

On the territories of Donbass under control of DPR and LPR, the ceasefire also well affects on recovery works. However the truce doesn’t solve one of key problems of these territories — shortage of medicines. So, last week it became known that in an oncological clinic of uncontrollable Gorlovka is absent chemical medicine. According to the main doctor, patients should go on the adjacent territory, to bring drugs.

Thus last week on uncontrollable territories passed opinion poll, according to it more than 40 percent of inhabitants “Donetsk People’s Republic” have the right to various social payments and grants that, even more aggravates a problem of medicines.

One more important new from uncontrollable territories of Donbass, was that the mobile operator MTS will continue to provide services to the subscribers in this part of the region. Earlier it was reported that the mobile operator “MTS Ukraine” agreedon expansion of cooperation with the one of the largest telecommunication companies Vodafone Group plc (Great Britain) and will provide services under this brand everywhere, except uncontrollable territories of Donbas.

Removing troops from the front line

All week, according to the Minsk Agreement, on the front line in Donbass removing of weapons less than 100 mm caliber proceeded. So, on October 20 the authorities of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” started removing weapons on the Debaltseve direction.

Movement of weapons on 15 km from the front line was made also by Armed Forces of Ukraine. On October 21 arms were moved from the Mariupol direction. Next day on October 22 AFU took away all tanks on the Donetsk direction.

Local elections

Restless situation in the territorial commission in Mariupol led to sitution that at the beginning of the week chairman of Donetsk regional military civil authorities Pavel Zhebrivsky declared that he allows cancellation of local elections in the city. Thus next day he refuted this statement and reported that the situation changed and elections will take place. The same declared in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, added that department created special groups of documenting and operational-investigations groups which have to stop violations on elections. Towards the end of the week chairman of Central Election Commission Mikhail Okhendovsky declared that doesn’t consider possible any cancellation or transfer the local elections in Mariupol.

IDPs from Donbas

Last week was executed year from the moment of acceptance by the Verkhovna Rada the law “About Ensuring the Rights and Freedoms of Internally Displaced Persons” which allocated IDPs from Donbass with the special status – internally displaced persons. However the majority of standards of this law still don’t work in a due measure, lawyers of a community initiative “Restoring Donbas” reported. Representatives of other profile public organizations noted insufficiency of state actions for the solution of internally displaced persons’ problems. On their estimates main work in assistance to the victims of conflict is still performed by public organizations, the volunteer movements and the international humanitarian institutes.

As the confirmation was new that last week in Kiev completed training for IDPs which was initiative of volunteers. IDPs were told how correctly ttake pension on a new plce of living, and also target financial support for IDP. On training also in details told how IDPs can receive preferential “the card of the inhabitant of Kiev”.

Crossing the front line

Last week on the front line posts in anti-terrorist operation zone big traffic jams were formed again and almost blocked all traffic. So, on Volnovakha towards Donetsk the jam was about 1 km. The big traffic jam was formed and towards Mariupol and Artemivsk. Volunteers recommended people to postpone trips.

Gaps exist also in other questions of logistics through the front line. So, according to lawyers’ of “Restoring Donbas” estimates, the Ministry of Ukraine for two months delayed the statement concerning the order of goods movement from areas to areas of carrying out anti-terrorist operation. Thus, today the question of goods transportation in the anti-terrorist operation zone has no due legislative regulation that automatically generates risks of abuses and corruption.

International situation and work of international missions

Key new about working of the international organizations in anti-terrorist operation zone was that mission of the UN didn’t receive “accreditation” for work on the territories under control of DPR from its management. According to the representative of DPR Denis Pushilin’s statement the the United Nations “demanded for itself special conditions of accreditation” on uncontrollable territory. Thus at the moment the UN, and other international humanitarian missions can’t give help to inhabitants of uncontrollable Donbas territories.

The restoring-donbass.com website - is an interactive platform, which was created by the "Restoring Donbas" community initiative of Oleksandr Klymenko. The latest news, blogs and analysis, background information and useful ads for IDPs and Donbas residents are available on the website.