Statement of the Joint Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response (April 25, 2022)
Despite the humane initiative shown by the Russian Federation to evacuate civilians from the territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant, the Kiev authorities again disrupted this humanitarian operation today. As of 20:00 (Moscow time) on April 25, 2022, no one has used the proposed humanitarian corridor.
On the one hand, Kiev officials constantly and publicly declare that the plant's workers, women and children are allegedly in the underground structures of Azovstal, and on the other hand, they deliberately reject all humanitarian initiatives of the Russian side and do not take any practical measures to evacuate these persons.
Such absolutely illogical and inconsistent behavior of the Kiev authorities once again confirms their outright indifference to the fate of specific people – to their own citizens.
The Joint Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response, in cooperation with the authorized federal executive authorities, continues to record numerous facts of the inhumane attitude of the Kiev authorities to civilians:
In the village of Karlovka, Donetsk People's Republic, nationalist battalions mined the dam of the Karlovka water reservoir. In case of an explosion, six settlements with a total population of more than 10 thousand people will be in the flood zone. In addition, after the water has left, the life support system (sewerage, water supply, water treatment facilities with chemical tanks) will be damaged throughout the flooding area, which will lead to a sharp deterioration of the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the area of flooding and the spread of infectious diseases. The current state of affairs is aggravated by the unavailability of medical support, the lack of medicines, including vital ones;
in the Nikolaev region, in order to intimidate civilians who are making independent attempts to evacuate to Russia by private cars and on foot, territorial defence fighters mined country roads and roadsides near the settlements of Kapustino, Suvorovka and Antonovka;
in the city of Avdeevka, Donetsk People's Republic, neo–Nazis have equipped a strongpoint in a residential building on Korolev street, firing points are placed on the upper floors, heavy equipment and MLRS are in the courtyard, while civilians are forcibly held in their apartments, hiding behind them as a "human shield".
Such actions of the Ukrainian authorities, once again, demonstrate their inhumane attitude to the fate of the people of Ukraine and indicate complete disregard for all norms of morality and international humanitarian law.
Despite the obstacles created by Kiev, over the past day, without the participation of the Ukrainian authorities, 9,285 people were evacuated from dangerous areas of Ukraine, Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics to the territory of the Russian Federation, 733 of them children, and since the beginning of the special military operation, 975,234 people have already been evacuated, of which 178,091 children. 127,486 units of personal motor transport crossed the state border of the Russian Federation, 1,215 units per day.
In the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, more than 9.5 thousand temporary accommodation facilities continue to operate, which are fully equipped with all necessary property, they provide places for rest and hot meals. Individual work is carried out with the arrived refugees, they are provided with qualified medical and psychological assistance. Refugees quickly receive housing, able-bodied citizens are provided with jobs, and children start going to schools and kindergartens.
Over the past day, the "hotline" of the Joint Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response, federal executive authorities, subjects of the Russian Federation and various public organizations received 346 requests from foreign and Ukrainian citizens, and in total there are 2,753,213 of 2,131 settlements in Ukraine in the database.
In addition, over the past week we have noted an increase in the number of requests related to the appeal for information about the fate of relatives from among Ukrainians and foreign citizens who evacuated along the humanitarian corridors declared by the Ukrainian side in the western direction. People are afraid that their loved ones in the territory controlled by neo-Nazis may become a "human shield" or they will suffer the fate of participants in provocations staged by the West.
Ukrainian nationalists continue to hold 90 foreign citizens from 5 countries hostage as a "human shield".
In addition, 76 foreign vessels from 18 states remain blocked in seven Ukrainian ports (Kherson, Nikolaev, Chernomorsk, Ochakov, Odessa, Yuzhny and Mariupol). The threat of shelling and high mine danger created by official Kiev in its internal waters and territorial sea do not allow ships to safely go to the open sea.
Every day from 08:00 to 19:00 (Moscow time), the Russian Armed Forces open a humanitarian corridor, which is a safe lane for ships moving in a south-westerly direction from the territorial sea of Ukraine with a length of 80 and a width of 3 nautical miles.
Detailed information on the functioning of the maritime humanitarian corridor is transmitted daily every 15 minutes via VHF radio on 14 and 16 international channels in English and Russian.
The Kiev authorities, as before, evade from interaction with representatives of foreign states and ship-owning companies in resolving the issue of ensuring the safe exit of blocked vessels to the collection area.
At the same time, there remains a danger to navigation from the drift of Ukrainian mines torn from their anchors along the coast of the Black Sea states.
The Russian Federation is taking a full range of comprehensive measures to ensure the safety of civil navigation in the waters of the Black, Azov and Mediterranean Seas.
The federal executive authorities, together with the subjects of the Russian Federation, various public organizations and patriotic movements, continue to accumulate humanitarian aid.
The largest contribution to the provision of assistance was made by:
EMERCOM, Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Culture, federal agency for nationalities, federal agency for the commonwealth of independent states, compatriots living abroad, and international humanitarian cooperation;
Altai and Crimea republics, Altai and Krasnodar territories, Amur, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kurgan, Kursk, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Rostov, Tomsk and Tula regions;
Among political parties and non–profit organizations are United Russia, People's Front, Combat Brotherhood, Russian Humanitarian Mission, the charity foundation PRO Life, the foundation DOBRO18.UDM, Union of Women of Russia.
More than 22 thousand tons of basic necessities and food packages, including infant food and vital medicines, have been prepared at the collection points.
Since March 2, the Russian Federation has already delivered 15,024.3 tons of basic necessities, food, medicines and medical products to Ukraine, 895 humanitarian actions have been carried out, including a humanitarian action in the Kharkov region over the past day, during which 22.6 tons of humanitarian aid were transferred to the civilian population.
On April 25, 2022, 11 humanitarian actions are being held in the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, Kharkov and Kherson regions, during which 502.2 tons of basic necessities and food are being transferred to the population.