Ukrainian lawmaker says cancelling social benefits in war-torn eastern regions mistake

Ukraine’s government made a mistake in suspending payments of social benefits and pensions for people in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Grigory Nemyria, chairman of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada parliamentary human rights committee, said on Wednesday.
The deputy from the Batkivshchyna faction noted that the mistake must be corrected, adding that the issue would be raised in a committee meeting on Wednesday. Members of the human rights committee wanted “to make the government return payments of social benefits for residents of Donbas”, he said.
“We are engaged in active dialogue with international organizations, such as the Red Cross and the EU mission for civilian security sector reform in Ukraine. European Union countries also help addressing the problem,” Nemyria added.