Government earmarks US$1.7 mln to compensate for destroyed Donbas homes – official

Deputy Minister for Veterans Affairs, Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine Ruslan Kalinin says UAH 40 million (US$1.7 million) has been earmarked in the national budget to compensate for destroyed housing in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. "We realize that this amount is insufficient, but now our ministry is developing a procedure for allocation of said funds. And those whose homes have been destroyed will be able to contact the ministry and receive the aid," he told RFE RL's Ukrainian service on January 9. According to Kalinin, the government has allocated such an amount for the first time over the last five years. In addition, for the first time in 2019, the government allocated UAH 500 million (US$20.7 million) for the "Affordable Housing" program for migrants and a program for the purchase of housing on credit at 3% per annum. The official added that there is not enough money to fully finance the programs. "In general, from UAH 6 billion to UAH 10 billion [US$248.8 million – US$414.6 million] is needed to implement these programs," he added. UNIAN memo. The armed conflict in Donbas, fomented and supported by the Kremlin, has been ongoing since 2014 when Russia occupied Crimea. Some 1.433 million internally displaced persons from Donbas and the annexed peninsula were registered in Ukraine as of January 8, 2020, according to Ukraine's Social Policy Ministry.

Government earmarks US$1.7 mln to compensate for destroyed Donbas homes – official

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