Ukraine to receive $20M in humanitarian aid from UK

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The UK announced Saturday that it will contribute £16 million ($20.1 million) to meet broad needs in Ukraine, particularly those affected by the collapse of the Kakhovka dam.

In response to escalating demands, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement that the amount would assist civilians, including 32,000 people directly affected by flooding, as well as those on the front lines and displaced populations.

The money will consist of £10 million for the Red Cross Movement, £5 million for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and £1 million for the International Organization for Migration, it said.

Additionally, the UK is supplying rescue boats, community water filters, water pumps, and waders, the statement said, and added that the equipment is slated to arrive in Ukraine "next week."

The announcement of aid came as water levels in Kherson continue to rise, with flooding spreading to other towns along the Dnipro River.

"Flooding from the destruction of Kakhovka dam is having an untold impact on over 32,000 people living in Kherson, and thousands more in the surrounding area," said James Cleverly, the foreign, commonwealth and development secretary.

"We will continue to stand by Ukraine in dealing with this terrible incident," Cleverly added.

This aid package brings the UK's total economic and humanitarian support to Ukraine to £1.5 billion.

Early this week, an emergency was declared on both sides of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine's Kherson region after it burst – one side is controlled by Russia and the other by Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine traded blame over the blast, which destroyed part of the dam that supplied water to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.