国际英语新闻:Nearly 1.6 mln Ukrainians displaced as conflict enters 4th year: UNHCR

GENEVA, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 1.6 million internally displaced Ukrainians struggle to find safety, adequate housing and access to employment, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said Friday in a report on the conflict in the country's east.

"Sporadic exchanges of fire in areas near the line of contact continue to damage civilian infrastructure, leading to new humanitarian needs and creating risks of displacement," UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic said a media briefing.

He said safety and security remain major concerns for nearly 800,000 people living near the "Line of Contact" in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the country's East.

In June, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine recorded more than 1.1 million crossings of the dividing line in eastern Ukraine that borders Russia.

"UNHCR is concerned about difficulties regarding freedom of movement of civilians, particularly while crossing the conflict line," said Mahecic.

There are frequently long lines and subsequent delays at checkpoints and those waiting to cross have limited access to basic services, such as drinking water, latrines, weather shelters and medical care.

"This creates additional hardships for those with limited mobility and specific needs, especially older people and mothers with children making the journey," said the UNHCR spokesperson.

Earlier in 2017, UNHCR provided technical assistance to improve conditions at all crossing points to reduce delays from those entering or leaving the area controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

The UN said that since the beginning of 2016, nearly 586,000 retired and elderly people residing in the conflict zone lost access to their pensions as a result of verification procedures introduced by the Government of Ukraine.

"This has affected the most vulnerable groups, as many of them depend on pensions and social payments as their sole source of income," he said.