Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the capacity of the Ukrainian authorities to provide government services to civilians living in districts under separatist control; and what representations he has made to his Ukrainian counterpart on the provision of services to such civilians.

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Given that these territories are not under Government control, there are clear logistical limitations to service provision by the Ukrainian Government to civilians living there. Nonetheless, the Ukrainian Government continues to provide water, heating and energy supplies to non-Government held areas. The UK provides close support to the Ministry for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons and we welcome the Ukrainian Government’s efforts to pursue further ways to provide support to those in non-Government controlled areas, including by facilitating crossings and the transport of goods across the Line of Contact. However, the best way to secure the provision of services to civilians across the Donbas would be a full and comprehensive ceasefire; ongoing fighting poses a grave threat to vital utilities as well as civilian lives, as seen recently in Avdiivka.