The conflict in the Donbas is entering its fifth year, and heavy weaponry remains in regular use—with far-reaching humanitarian consequences for this predominantly industrial and urban region of eastern Ukraine. Civilians on either side of the contact line rely on the same infrastructural network – water systems, electricity grids and gas lines – for vital services. Several of these key infrastructural installations are on or near the contact line, and in the immediate vicinity of the ongoing hostilities, which involve regular use of high-calibre artillery.

In this episode of Intercross the Podcast, we sit down with ICRC’s outgoing head of delegation in Kyiv, Ukraine, Alain Aeschlimann. We chat about the situation and challenges of working in Ukraine, how the situation has evolved in his time there and how ICRC works in one of the most heavily militarized regions in the world. Hosted by Niki Clark.

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