Statement of the Joint Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response (July 9, 2022)
Russian Federation's Joint Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response, in cooperation with the authorised federal executive authorities, continues to record the facts of crimes committed by the Kiev regime against civilians, as well as the use by Ukrainian armed formations of houses, educational institutions and other social facilities for military purposes:
in Zaliznoye, Donetsk People's Republic, militants of the nationalist Aidar battalion are stationed in school No 13 (Petrovskogo Street), with roadblocks and firing points set up on the approaches to the building, while local residents from nearby houses are not evacuated and are actually used by nationalists as human shields;
in Kharkov, Ukrainian nationalists have equipped firing positions and ammunition depots on the lower and upper floors of apartment buildings (Yubileynyi prospect), local residents are not allowed to leave their flats and any attempts by citizens to evacuate to safer areas are harshly suppressed;
in Niu-York, militants of the Right Sector nationalist battalion with foreign mercenaries are deployed in school No 18 (Zheleznaya Street), large-calibre artillery and MLRS are deployed and residents of nearby houses are held in the premises of the school under the pretext of security.
Additionally, in Krivorozhskyi district, Dnipropetrovsk region, militants of Ukrainian armed formations have mined the sides of an asphalt road between Krasnyi Pod and Radushnoye, but the local population was deliberately not informed about it.
We warn the international community and international organizations in advance about this inhuman provocation prepared by the Ukrainian authorities, as a result of which civilians may suffer and the Kiev regime will accuse Russian units of allegedly indiscriminate strikes and civilian deaths in a well-established scenario.
These facts once again demonstrate the indifferent attitude of the Ukrainian authorities towards the fate of civilians and their complete disregard for the provisions of international humanitarian law. Despite repeated statements by the Russian Federation's Interdepartmental Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response, such cynical actions by the Kiev regime have so far remained unnoticed by the international community.
Despite all the difficulties and obstacles imposed by the Ukrainian side, over the past day, without the participation of Kiev, 25,064 people were evacuated from dangerous areas, 4,175 of them children, and in total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 2,434,298 people have already been evacuated, of which 383,402 are children.
The state border of the Russian Federation was crossed by 383,048 personal vehicles including 4,804 per day.
More than 9,500 temporary accommodation centres continue to operate in the regions of the Russian Federation. The refugees are dealt with on an individual basis and are promptly assisted with various pressing issues relating to onward accommodation, employment assistance, places for children in kindergartens and educational institutions, and the provision of entitlements to social benefits.
Over the past 24 hours, the hotline of the Interdepartmental Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response, federal executive authorities, constituent entities of the Russian Federation and various NGOs received 23 requests from foreign and Ukrainian citizens to evacuate to Russia, the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, as well as to the Russian Armed Forces-controlled areas of Zaporozhye, Nikolaev, Kharkov and Kherson regions. In total there are 2,759,126 such appeals from 2,139 locations in Ukraine in the database.
In addition, 70 foreign vessels from 16 countries remain blocked in 6 Ukrainian ports (Kherson, Nikolaev, Chernomorsk, Ochakov, Odessa and Yuzhniy). The threat of shelling and high mine danger posed by official Kiev prevents vessels from entering the high seas unhindered.
Furthermore, with reference to representatives of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, false information continues to be widely circulated in the Western media about the intention of the authorities of the Donetsk People's Republic, with Russia's full support, to create a national fleet of foreign vessels confiscated in Mariupol port.
The Ukrainian side continues to attempt to discredit the actions of the Russian Federation in restoring the territories it has liberated and accuse DPR of violating international maritime law with regard to foreign-flagged vessels in Mariupol port.
Once again, this is untrue.
As a result of the measures taken by the Russian Navy, the mine threat in the waters of the port of Mariupol has been eliminated and measures are being taken to restore the port infrastructure.
The Russian Armed Forces have created conditions for the operation of two maritime humanitarian corridors, which are safe lanes for ships:
in the Black Sea - to leave Kherson, Nikolaev, Chernomorsk, Ochakov, Odessa and Yuzhnyi ports in a south-westerly direction from Ukraine's territorial sea, 139 miles long and 3 miles wide;
in the Sea of Azov, to leave Mariupol port 115 miles long and 2 miles wide towards the Black Sea.
Detailed information in English and Russian on the modus operandi of the maritime humanitarian corridor is broadcast daily every 15 minutes on VHF radio on 14 and 16 international channels in English and Russian.
At the same time, the Kiev authorities continue to avoid engaging with representatives of states and ship-owning companies to resolve the issue of ensuring the safe passage of foreign vessels to the assembly area.
The danger to navigation from Ukrainian mines drifting off their anchors along the coasts of Black Sea states remains.
The Russian Federation is taking a full range of comprehensive measures to ensure the safety of civilian navigation in the waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
Demining detachments of the Russian Armed Forces and the EMERCOM of Russia are carrying out land and facility clearance tasks in the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics.
A total of 3,838.44 hectares were checked, 35 buildings (including 13 socially important facilities), 2 bridges and 9.64 km of roads. 53,330 explosive objects have been detected and deactivated.
Federal executive authorities, together with the subjects of the Russian Federation, various public organizations, patriotic movements, continue to accumulate humanitarian aid.
The greatest contributors to the relief effort were:
Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters, Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport, Federal Bailiff Service, Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography, Federal Agency of Nationalities;
republics of Bashkortostan, Dagestan, Crimea, Sakha (Yakutia), Tatarstan, as well as Kabardino-Balkarian and Chechen Republics, Krasnodar, Primorsky and Khabarovsk regions, Arkhangelsk, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh regions, Kaluga, Leningrad, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Rostov, Samara, Saratov, Sverdlovsk, Tula and Yaroslavl regions, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area, as well as Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Sevastopol;
among political parties and non-profit organisations: United Russia, the All-Russian Public Movement "People's Front", the All-Russian Public Organisation of Veterans "Battle Brotherhood", the autonomous non-profit organisation to support humanitarian programmes "Russian Humanitarian Mission", the Open Joint Stock Company "Russian Railways", the State Corporation for Space Activities "Roscosmos" and the All-Russian Public and Public Organisation "Russian Union of Women".
More than 43,500 tons of basic necessities, food and medicines have been prepared at the collection points.
Since March 2, 2022, 41,883.7 tons of humanitarian cargo have already been delivered to Ukraine, 1,284 humanitarian actions have been carried out, including 6 actions in Kharkov and Kherson regions, as well as in Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, during which 747.8 tons of basic necessities, medicines and food were transferred to the civilian population of the liberated areas.
On July 9, 5 humanitarian actions have been planned and are currently being carried out in Kharkov region, in Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, during which 352 tons of basic necessities, medicine and food will be distributed.