'Jersey can be proud of work in Ukraine'

Jersey can be proud of the work it has done to assist Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, a UN officer from Jersey says.

Leila Osman is a United Nations junior professional officer and has been working in Kyiv with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) since last April.

The publicly-funded relief and development agency Jersey Overseas Aid (JOA) helps people in the island get in to the UN's junior professional officer scheme.

Ms Osman said: "Jersey as a very small place... is doing a lot" to help Ukrainians and she was "very proud" to be part of that.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or injured since the war started on 24 February 2022.

Ms Osman said "there's a daily bombardment" where she lives in Kyiv and "this shelling can be a bit taxing at times".

She added: "But, thankfully, in Kyiv we have good air defence, which is great.

"However, closer to the front lines, there are people living with without that luxury, and they are hit on a daily basis without the chance to have a warning or get down to shelter."

Ms Osman works to help those who have been displaced with Ukraine by the fighting, as well as refugees fleeing the country.

She said the humanitarian situation was "particularly dire" in the east of Ukraine on the front lines and the "effects of war in Ukraine have been very hard on the whole population".

She added: "Further away from the front lines, one of the main activities that UNHCR does is providing immediate emergency response, so it's going to the places directly following attacks and helping people with their emergency needs, like providing food, clothes and fuel."

Ms Osman has also seen the wider work of JOA during her time in Ukraine.

She said Russia's attacks had destroyed two-thirds of the country's energy infrastructure so "people were in freezing temperatures of -10C to -20C [14F to -4F] in the east of Ukraine are left without power".

Dealing with landmines would also be a major operation after the war, she also said.

She said: "JOA has a very active de-mining program, which is going to be a massive thing when the war ends in Ukraine because it's one of the most heavily mined situations we've ever had.

"This work will be a major part of the county's reconstruction."

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