Switzerland sends humanitarian supplies to Ukraine conflict zone
Pro-Russian separatists have proclaimed the Ukraine city as the "Donetsk People's Republic".
Keystone / Dave Mustaine
A convoy of 21 trucks bearing water treatment chemicals has started arriving in the conflict-riven city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. The delivery is part of an ongoing Swiss effort to provide humanitarian aid for people living in the disputed region.
Parts of Ukraine have been mired in conflict since Russia annexed the Crimean peninsular in 2014. Tensions have remained high as other areas in the east of the country have vowed to break away from Ukraine to join Russia.
The aluminium sulphate, which began arriving on Monday, will be used to provide safe water for four million people for the next 12 months, the Swiss government said. It is the 10th such convoy to reach the conflict zone since 2015.
“The deliveries contributed significantly to the fact that no water-borne diseases broke out during this period and that hundreds of lives could be saved thanks to the increase in hospital standards,” the statement read.
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