Polish charities moved to help Ukrainians affected by the flooding within hours after the invading Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka dam on June 6, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported on Monday.
The Catholic organisation Caritas Poland immediately decided to donate PLN 100,000 (EUR 22,500) towards assistance to flood victims, officials said.
Meanwhile, various aid charities, including Caritas Poland, the Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH) and the Polish Centre for International Aid (PCPM), have been sending emergency shipments of food and hygiene supplies for people forced to flee the flooding in southern Ukraine, the IAR news agency reported.
Poland’s aid organisations have also appealed for donations in support for humanitarian relief in the wake of the destruction of the massive Kakhovka dam, according to officials.
Maciej Dubicki, a spokesman for Caritas Poland, told Polish Radio that “aid for war-torn Ukraine is a marathon, not a sprint … but the disaster caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam requires swift action.”
‘Humanitarian and ecological disaster’
He added: “Sadly, the consequences of the dam’s destruction will be lamentable and very dangerous, not only for the people directly affected by the high flood wave, because it’s also an ecological disaster.”
Dubicki told Polish Radio that the water that had flown through the dam “contains various lubricants, and it also sweeps with it animals, which are going to die and their remains will then be decomposing.”
Dubicki said: “There have also been reports of cemeteries being destroyed by the river’s current. This may create the threat of an epidemic.”
Millions in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine
In addition to providing financial assistance, Caritas Poland has been sending shipments of humanitarian aid to the Kherson region, Dubicki said.
Meanwhile, the charity's Ukrainian partner Caritas-Spes-Odessa is providing help on the ground, supplying flood victims with basic necessities, such as temporary shelter, food and water, as well as bedclothes, blankets and mattresses, among other supplies, according to Dubicki.
Dubicki urged the Polish public to donate for the cause through the dedicated webpage caritas.pl/ukraina/, as well as by texting the number 72052 with the message “Ukraine,” Polish Radio’s polskieradio24.pl website reported.
“All the proceeds will go towards buying supplies that can be bought in Ukraine," Dubicki said. "Meanwhile, equipment ... such as generators and pumps to remove water from houses, will be collected in Poland and transferred to areas affected by the flooding.”
Dubicki added that since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year, Caritas Poland has provided the war-torn country with more than PLN 600 million (EUR 135 million) worth of humanitarian assistance, polskieradio24.pl reported.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Tuesday is day 475 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, polskieradio24.pl