The European Commission said on Thursday it is mobilising EUR 22 M to help the population of Ukrainian regions suffering from the consequences of the conflict.

The funding comprises additional EUR 5 M in humanitarian assistance plus EUR 17 M in development aid, the EU executive body said in a statement.

The EUR 5 M for humanitarian assistance comes on top of EUR 2.5 M the Commission allocated last month to assist the victims of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. The funds will cover shelter, food, water, healthcare, psycho-social assistance and protection in preparation for the coming winter.

The EUR 17 M for development aid comes from the 2011 Programme to Support Ukraine Regional Development Policy that aims to contribute to the country’s social, economic and territorial cohesion.

Outgoing EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva said that the number of people in Ukraine suffering from the conflict and their needs “have been steeply increasing in the last months”.

“With winter on the doorstep, the situation is additionally worrying. We are therefore scaling up our assistance to meet the basic humanitarian needs of the people who are affected," Georgieva explained.

The UN refugee agency said earlier this month that fighting in eastern Ukraine, in particular around Donetsk, Luhansk and neighbouring towns, was driving more people away from their homes and increasing the need for humanitarian aid.

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