Official Kyiv insists on creating a separate account in the EU, to which Russia will receive funds for gas and oil. Then, the money will be used to restore Ukraine’s economy and for reparations.

“We work towards setting a precedent in payments and accumulating the money that is now paid to Russia for gas and oil. This money must stop flowing into Russian accounts and must be accumulated in a special account in the EU so that Russia does not receive these funds. This money must be transferred to Ukraine for the recovery of Ukraine’s economy and reparations, and also for the Russian Federation to be punished and pay in full for all the crimes it commits in Ukraine,” Lana Zerkal, a member of the Ukrainian delegation for participation in the oral arguments at the UN International Court of Justice in The Hague, said.

According to Zerkal, this account opens on the basis of EU sanctions by European states that now receive energy from Russia.

“Instead of coming to Russia, and according to estimates by European countries themselves, it is almost a billion dollars a month. These funds are deposited in a special account and then the sum is transferred to Ukraine,” she added.

At the same time, according to the European branch of the World Health Organization (WHO), 18 million people in Ukraine have been impacted by the Russian invasion; 6.7 million of them are internally displaced persons.

“Nearly 3 million people have fled the country. Supply chains have been severely disrupted. Many distributors are not operational, some stockpiles are inaccessible due to military operations, medicine supplies are running low, and hospitals are struggling to provide care to the sick and wounded,” the organisation said in a statement.

WHO notes it is coordinating with partners the provision of humanitarian health assistance, both within Ukraine and on its borders, and providing technical support and surge staff.

Bohdan Marusyak

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