People fleeing Ukraine-Russia conflict stay at a temporary accommodation centre located in the building of a local school in Nikolskoye near the besieged city of Mariupol, Ukraine March 17, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
LONDON, March 26 (Reuters) - Britain said on Saturday it would fund 2 million pounds ($2.6 million) worth of vital food supplies for areas of Ukraine which are encircled by Russian forces following a direct request from the Ukrainian government.
Just over a month after Moscow invaded Ukraine in what it describes as a "special military operation", Russian troops have failed to capture any major Ukrainian cities and have resorted to pounding them with artillery and air strikes. read more
Worst hit has been the eastern port of Mariupol, a city of 400,000 under siege since the war's early days. Tens of thousands of people are still believed to be trapped inside with no access to food, power or heating.
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Britain said around 25 truckloads of dried food, tinned goods and water will be transported by road and rail from warehouses in Poland and Slovakia to the most at-risk Ukrainian towns and cities.
"The need on the ground in Ukraine is clear, with so many people in encircled areas trapped in basements without access to food or water," Alice Hooper, the British Foreign Office's Humanitarian Adviser, said in a statement.
"We are working with partners at the borders to ensure these vital UK supplies reach the places they are needed most as quickly as possible."
Reporting by Kylie MacLellan. Editing by Andrew MacAskill
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
SR666 on March 26th, 2022 at 16:52 UTC »
Use NATO air forces to airdrop the supplies. Since they will be operating inside Ukraine airspace, in a complete non combat role, the Russians wouldn’t dare shoot them down unless their really want to also get NATO more directly involved, which we all know they do not want.
Krazyonee on March 26th, 2022 at 14:02 UTC »
It's good that they are donating so much but the issue is how they will get the supplies to the people in need rather than Russia just capturing it and using it for their own military force. Even getting it past the encirclement to start with is not even hinted at really. Just kind of odd.
themimeofthemollies on March 26th, 2022 at 13:29 UTC »
From the article:
"The need on the ground in Ukraine is clear, with so many people in encircled areas trapped in basements without access to food or water," Alice Hooper, the British Foreign Office's Humanitarian Adviser, said in a statement.
"We are working with partners at the borders to ensure these vital UK supplies reach the places they are needed most as quickly as possible."
Nice!!
May the world unite against fascism and aggression!