MEP: Rinat Akhmetov’s help to the Donbas is irreplaceable

During a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation organized a unique exhibition, Donbas and Civilians devoted to civilians of Eastern Ukraine. The exhibition held in the European Parliament building left nobody indifferent. According to Charles Tannock, Member of the European Parliament for the Conservative Party of Great Britain, events like this play huge role for Europe.

“There is a danger that the War in Donbas could be quickly forgotten. Members of the European Union no longer discuss this matter so profoundly, as it is being overshadowed by conflicts in other parts of the world. The result wasn’t long in coming: people began to forget that the east of Ukraine continues to suffer, literally every day, from gunfire and sniper shots, that children are growing without their fathers and mothers, that they receive horrible injuries,” Mr. Tannock said.

The MEP added that photographs and videos displayed at the exhibition provide a quite clear and truly realistic picture of the sufferings experienced by civilians in the Donbas, whose question wasn’t actively discussed by the parliament. Therefore, Mr. Tannock stressed, Rinat Akhmetov’s help to the region remains absolutely irreplaceable.

“Rinat Akhmetov is a renowned philanthropist. He deserves huge trust, for his deeds speak for themselves. His Foundation performs a very important humanitarian function of making sure that people in the Donbas do not starve, and he makes that possible,” Charles Tannock said.

The exhibition displays black-and-white collages from Donbas and Civilians photo book, color photographs of destroyed houses and their residents, videos featuring children of war who let it through their hearts.

Charles Tannock admitted that he was shocked by the tragedies that heroes of Donbas and Civilians photo book – old people and children whose lives the armed conflict has divided into “before” and “after” – had to endure.

“This is just a screaming injustice! Here’s an elderly woman who is over 90 years old, and she again becomes a victim of war, the second in her life. Here’s a boy who has to live in the conditions of war. And this is a girl who lost a leg, and her mom was killed by shelling. I am a physician myself, so I can only imagine what kind of tragedy it is in the child’s life and how this tragedy changes personality. In medicine, we call it “post-traumatic syndrome”. This is a huge problem that requires comprehensive solutions and substantial professional and financial resources. Therefore, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation has surely done a huge and important job. Over a million people have already received help from him. Therefore, I commend the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation’s efforts and hope that people who will see this exhibition, i.e. my fellow politicians or those who forget about Ukraine and its needs, will change their stance and begin to help. And I also hope that we all together will make sure that Ukraine has a happy future,” Charles Tannock said at the opening ceremony of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation’s photo exhibition at the European Parliament.