Amnesty International (AI) on Tuesday warned of the “disproportionate impact” the conflict in Ukraine is having on the elderly in this country, where many are “left behind” in combat zones.
The report “I used to have a house” (“I used to have a house”) released this Tuesday by AI documents the difficulties faced by the elderly population during the conflict in Ukraine, namely obstacles in accessing healthcare, housing and security.
“Russia’s devastating invasion is disproportionately impacting the elderly in Ukraine, leaving many in areas where they are regularly at risk from relentless ground and air strikes.”said Laura Mills, an AI researcher on seniors and people with disabilities.
In Ukraine, the over-60s make up almost a quarter of the population and this group has the highest number of injuries and deaths in the current conflict.
According to AI, the elderly often remain in conflict-affected areas or are unable to flee, in damaged homes, under dangerous conditions.
These people, with greater health problems, also face severe restrictions in access to humanitarian aid in Russian-held areas, the same source said.
Thousands of displaced elderly people live in overcrowded state institutions without enough staff to meet the needs of elderly people with disabilities.
According to the Ministry of Social Policy, at least 4,000 elderly people were placed in state institutions between February and July alone after losing their homes.
The research was conducted by AI between March and October, including interviews with 226 people and visits to seven institutions for elderly and disabled people in Ukraine.
“Everyone on our street left. The only people left were me and two other elderly women. One had a disability. We had nowhere to go. I hid in a hole in my basement. On March 29, there was a lot of bombing , and when I left the basement, I saw the flames, I saw that my house was on fire”a witness told AI.
The Ukrainian government has made significant efforts to evacuate people from conflict zones, most notably announcing the mandatory evacuation of about 200,000 people from the Donetsk region in July.
Nevertheless, AI reminds that the costs and logistics of securing housing for war-displaced elderly people should not fall solely on Ukraine, and therefore calls on other countries to facilitate the removal of the elderly, with a special focus on elderly people with disabilities.
AI also calls on international organizations to take more measures to support the elderly financially, so that they can rent homes and have priority when placing them in any new homes.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24 has already led to the flight of more than 13 million people – more than six million internally displaced people and more than 7.8 million to European countries – according to the latest UN data. to land. which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending arms to Ukraine and impose political and economic sanctions on Russia.
The UN presented 6,702 civilian casualties and 10,479 wounded as confirmed since the start of the war, underlining that these numbers are far below the actual ones.
Source: DN
