Statement of the Joint Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response (April 26, 2022)
During the special military operation, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the formations of the DPR and LPR liberated significant territories of the Donetsk, Lugansk people's republics, the entire Kherson region, part of the Kharkov, Zaporozhye and Nikolaev regions. Peaceful life is being established in these territories, life support facilities for the population, social infrastructure and housing and communal services are being actively restored. The sowing campaign has begun. The local population, who had previously left these areas for the central and western regions of Ukraine, currently cannot return back. The Kiev regime and the fighters of nationalist armed formations in every way prevent their citizens from returning home. All humanitarian corridors opened by the Russian side are blocked.
To date, the hotline of the Russian Joint Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response has already received 2,753,477 requests for evacuation to the territories controlled by the Russian army and to Russia itself.
We will continue to appeal to the relevant structures of the United Nations, the OSCE, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international organizations to assist Ukrainian citizens to return to their homes through all available information resources.
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 city of Liman, Donetsk People's Republic, in a nursing home, Ukrainian nationalist fighters have set up a stronghold in a nursing home and placed heavy weapons, while the staff and elderly citizens are forcibly held as "human shields;
in the city of Nikolaev, territorial defence fighters have prepared another sophisticated provocation with numerous victims. For this purpose, in the Korabelny district near the enterprise Nikolaev aircraft repair plant on Znamenskaya street, neo-Nazis installed radio-controlled explosive devices with projectile elements, which they plan to activate in case of a mass gathering of civilians and blame Russian servicemen for this. We warn the so-called civilized West in advance that this and other similar bloody fakes from the Kiev authorities about the alleged "Russian atrocities" are planned to be widely spread through the Western media in the near future.
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, 10,715 people were evacuated from dangerous areas of Ukraine, Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics to the territory of the Russian Federation, 1,723 of them children, and in total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 985,949 people have already been evacuated, of which 178,814 children. The state border of the Russian Federation was crossed by 129,025 units of personal motor transport, per day – 1,539.
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 refugees, they are provided with qualified medical and psychological assistance. Housing is promptly distributed to families, able-bodied citizens are provided with jobs, and children begin attending 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 from foreign and Ukrainian citizens received 151 requests for evacuation to the Russian Federation, Donetsk, Lugansk people's republics, as well as to the territories controlled by the Armed Forces of Russia Zaporozhye, Nikolaev, Kharkov and Kherson regions (in total, 2,753,477 such appeals from 2,131 settlements of Ukraine are in the database).
Ukrainian nationalists continue to hold 90 foreign citizens from five 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 and Azov 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 Industry and Trade, Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Communications, federal service of state registration, cadastre and cartography, federal agency of sea and river transport, 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, Stavropol and Krasnodar territories, Arkhangelsk, Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Rostov and Tula regions;
among political parties and non–profit organizations are United Russia, People's Front, Combat Brotherhood, Russian Humanitarian Mission, the DOBRO18.UDM foundation, Union of Women of Russia, JSC Concern VKO Almaz-Antey.
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 15,526.5 tons of basic necessities, food, medicines and medical products to Ukraine, 906 humanitarian actions have been carried out, including 11 humanitarian actions in the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, Kharkov and Kherson regions over the past day, during which civilians 502.2 tons of humanitarian aid were transferred.
On April 26, 2022, 14 humanitarian actions are being held in the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, Kharkov and Kherson regions, during which 414.6 tons of basic necessities and food are being transferred to the population.