UNICEF needs access to Russia-controlled part of Ukraine: chief
The head of the U.N. Children’s Fund expressed frustration Friday that the aid organization does not have access to areas in eastern Ukraine where Russia has claimed control amid the ongoing war.
“We know children are in need, but we can’t get to them very easily, and that is disturbing,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, around 5.5 million Ukrainian children, including many who have been evacuated abroad, have been affected, according to a UNICEF report released in September.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared in September the annexation of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic in Ukraine’s east.
UNICEF has begun preparation for the upcoming winter season in Ukraine before temperatures plummet out of concern for children’s well-being, as families would be unable to heat their homes due to damage inflicted upon their houses or lack of access to electricity and fuel.
“We’re shipping in tons of supplies into Ukraine. And that includes winter jackets, blankets, tents, things like that,” Russell said.
UNICEF has a presence at 10 locations in Ukraine to meet children’s immediate needs. Besides delivering supplies and providing medical and health services, the aid organization also provides educational support.
Since the start of the war, UNICEF has supported 856,903 children by providing them with access to education, according to senior adviser of communication Malene Jensen.
Russell recalled an episode during her visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in September, in which schoolchildren had to enter underground shelters during an air raid evacuation drill.
“I was out in a park with some children and sirens went off, and everybody had to scatter and go. That’s not a normal experience for children,” she said.
UNICEF is also providing mental support to Ukrainian children as the impact of the war takes a toll on them psychologically, and they face difficulties in commuting to school.
“In every situation where you see conflict, most vulnerable people suffer the most…That’s certainly the case here,” Russell said. “Two years of COVID. Now, these kids are still not getting back into the classrooms.”
Russell served in the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden from 2020 to 2022 as an assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel before assuming her current post in February.