Kiev / Geneva (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has donated medical supplies for people injured in fighting in Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.
"We are concerned about the violence that erupted in eastern and southern Ukraine between 1 and 5 May," said Elise Woirhaye, head of the organization's office in Donetsk. "The ICRC is enhancing its presence in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Odessa so as to be better able to help casualties and detainees. We are also working closely with the Ukrainian Red Cross Society to make sure that suitable emergency services are available wherever necessary."
The ICRC calls on everyone involved in violence to respect the red cross emblem and to allow Red Cross workers to perform their humanitarian duties. With ICRC support, the Ukrainian Red Cross administered first aid to more than 30 wounded civilians and law enforcement officers in Odessa during the clashes on 2 May. In Donetsk, Odessa and Lugansk, Ukrainian Red Cross volunteers are actively patrolling the streets in order to be on the spot should any further clashes occur.
For further information, please contact:
David-Pierre Marquet, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 25 02 or +41 79 536 92 48
Ashot Astabatsyan, ICRC Kiev, tel: +380671182481