Civilians Struggle For Food Amid Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Kyiv, March 8: Amid Russia’s ongoing attacks in Ukraine, Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi on Tuesday said the city was struggling to provide food and housing around 200,000 displaced Ukrainians. “About 200,000 Ukrainians have already arrived in Lviv. Women, children, the elderly, hiding from shelling and bombing, were forced to flee their homes. We accommodate everyone provide food and everything necessary. But the trains are going, and the numbers are growing,” CNN quoted the mayor as saying in a video statement.

Calling for international help, the Mayor said, “We need mobile centers for temporary stay with equipped bathrooms and food outlets. Medical and psychological support, medicines, bulletproof vests, and helmets. Mobile hospitals for children and adults”.

According to the Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Russian forces had “violated their obligations under international humanitarian law not to conduct indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks that harm civilians”.

Condemning Russia for killing eights civilians who were fleeing the Russian army’s advance, the HRW said, “For several hours on March 6, Russian forces bombarded an intersection on a road that hundreds of civilians were using to flee the Russian army’s advance in northern Ukraine to Kyiv. “Over the past several days, Russian and Ukrainian forces have held talks to discuss opening safe routes of evacuation for civilians in areas across Ukraine affected by heavy fighting, but these efforts have failed.”