UN: Russian Drones Threaten Aid Work   08/20 06:30

   

   KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- The intensifying use of drones against civilians and 
humanitarian workers is a dangerous obstacle for aid operations in Ukraine, the 
U.N.'s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, said on Wednesday.

   Fletcher spoke to The Associated Press in an interview after a visit to the 
southern city of Kherson, where he witnessed how communities there are coping 
while living under the constant threat of Russian drones. Fletcher described 
the visit to Kherson, split by the Dnipro River, which acts as an active front 
line, as "quite chilling."

   Russian forces occupy the eastern bank, while Ukrainian forces hold the 
western bank. From across the water, kamikaze and surveillance drones routinely 
hunt and attack civilians, vehicles and public transit.

   "It really gives us an insight into the dangers ahead of us," he said.

   The threat is also making it harder for humanitarian organizations to reach 
people who need assistance.

   Fletcher spoke after attending a commemoration for two humanitarian workers 
who had died while doing their jobs.

   "Drones are a real threat to not just civilians but the humanitarians who 
are here to protect them," Fletcher said.

   He said that aid workers are protected under international humanitarian law 
and yet marked humanitarian vehicles have still been hit. "So that does 
restrict what we can do," he said.

   Local organizations are particularly exposed. More than two-thirds of 
operations funded through Ukraine's humanitarian fund are carried out by local 
organizations, according to Fletcher.

   "They're the ones who are saying most loudly to us, we're not protected," he 
said.

   Fletcher said the U.N. needs more than $2 billion for its prioritized 
humanitarian response in Ukraine this year, with winter among his biggest 
concerns. Damage to civilian infrastructure, including electricity, water and 
gas systems, could once again leave millions vulnerable during the harsh winter 
months, raising fears of a repeat of last winter's severe conditions.

   The U.N. has sharply narrowed its humanitarian priorities all over the world 
as donor funding has fallen. Fletcher said the organization initially 
identified 87 million people facing the most severe humanitarian needs, but 
that figure has since risen to about 92 million with the onslaught of Ebola in 
Africa, the earthquake in Venezuela and other conflicts.

   The U.N. is seeking $23 billion to provide life-saving assistance to those 
people and had raised about $11 billion, said Fletcher.

   Ukraine is relatively well funded compared with many other crises, he added, 
with roughly 70--75% of its hyper-prioritized funding requirement covered. But 
even full funding of the humanitarian plan would address only part of Ukraine's 
needs.

   Fletcher also admitted that raising money for humanitarian operations has 
become more difficult as governments have increasingly redirected spending 
toward defense and domestic priorities.

   "We're in a more transactional world, I would say a more selfish world," he 
said.

   Fletcher said the U.N. now has to demonstrate that it is using limited 
taxpayer money efficiently and strategically.

   "We have to show governments that we are spending their taxpayers' money 
sensibly, wisely, in a prioritized way," he said.

   In a stark new assessment released on Wednesday, the U.N. warned that 907 
aid workers were victims of violence last year and over 1,000 have been killed 
in three years. Fletcher said he could not reassure colleagues that those 
responsible would be held accountable based on how the international community 
has reacted.

   He said accountability should extend beyond identifying the person who 
physically carried out an attack.

   "I want to see investigations into the people who fired the weapon or flew 
the drone," he said.