The British Embassy in Kyiv has announced that it will provide £100,000 in humanitarian assistance to western Ukraine, a region recently hit by deadly flooding and a growing number of COVID-19 cases.
In a July 6 message on its Facebook page, the embassy said it would provide “immediate support with floods-related needs” and also plans to help “address the heightened coronavirus (COVID-19) risks amongst the local residents.” To this end, the British government has promised to dispense hygiene kits and sanitation equipment to control the epidemiological situation in the region.
In late June, heavy rainfall triggered severe flooding in the Carpathian regions of western Ukraine, leaving infrastructure badly damaged and the sick and elderly cut off from government services. Three people died in the floods.
Read more: 3 reportedly drown as western Ukraine hit with heavy rains, flooding
The rain caused rivers to rise by over 3 meters and destroyed roads, bridges, dams and properties in over 300 towns and villages. The flooding has been blamed on illegal and unsustainable logging. It is estimated that around a third of all logging in Ukraine is conducted illegally, with materials sometimes ending up in furniture made by international furnishings giant IKEA.
On June 30, IKEA announced it would launch an audit of its wood suppliers in Ukraine.
Ukraine can hardly afford mass damage from flooding in its western oblasts. The Ukrainian government is bracing itself for a reported 8% decline in gross domestic product by the end of the year. On June 25, Ukraine appealed to the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center (EADRCC) for international assistance in the relief efforts.
Fortunately for the flood-impacted west, Ukraine’s contribution of Hr 700 million ($25.9 million) toward relief efforts has been boosted by further donations from the international community. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported that it has received financial and material support from nations such as Slovakia, Sweden, Italy and, chiefly, the United Kingdom.
The United Kingdom also expects to extend the funds it has initially pledged in order to aid with the “medium-term recovery” and address “priority needs.”
The U.K. made its donation in spite of its plans to decrease its foreign aid budget in anticipation of the financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and its exit from the European Union. Recently, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has faced calls to reduce Britain’s commitment to aid abroad. Overseas aid grants are reportedly being halted in light of COVID-19 budget cuts.
Nevertheless, between 2019 and 2020, Britain has pledged around £37 million in aid to Ukraine.
