European press about Donbas and Civilians photo exhibition

Donbas and Civilians photo exhibition held by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation in Strasbourg became a revelation for European parliamentarians. Thanks to the Foundation’s unprecedented humanitarian efforts, Europeans could hear the stories of civilians in the Donbas, Jock Mendoza-Wilson, SCM Director for International and Investor Relations wrote in his article for Brussels Express.

“This conflict is not of paramount importance for Europe’s foreign policy. However, the fates of people of the Donbas shall never be forgotten. They still need humanitarian aid, especially in the midst of winter. 6.5 million people have been ripped out of peaceful life. Many of them lost their homes, close ones and relatives,” Jock Wilson wrote.

He maintains that from the very first days of the armed conflict, the help from Rinat Akhmetov remains the only hope for survival for a huge number of civilians. Since 2014, the Foundation delivered over 12 million survival parcels alone, and these efforts continue.

Donbas and Civilians photo exhibition was held from 14 to 17 January during a plenary session of the European Parliament. It revealed the tragedy of civilian population that takes place right now in the center of Europe. 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 witnessed it with their own eyes.

All this time, the Foundation’s largest program, Humanitarian Center has been providing help to the most vulnerable categories of population in the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts living on both sides of the confrontation line. On 28 February 2017, the Humanitarian Center’s operations in the government-uncontrolled territory of the Donbas were blocked. As a result, 500,000 people were left without help. Today, the Foundation continues to deliver aid to residents of the “grey zone” and IDPs.