KYIV, April 2 – Dozens of civilians are stranded in war zone unable to cross the line of contact in eastern Ukraine following the shutdown of border due to coronavirus quarantine, Human Rights Watch reported Thursday.

The line separates areas under the control of Russia-backed armed groups from those under government control.

“Ukraine is facing a public health emergency, and the government has every reason to limit movement, including in the conflict-affected areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions,” said Rachel Denber, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “At the same time, it should strive to keep families together and ensure the humanitarian needs of people who get stranded.”

Dozens of people have been stranded for days at a checkpoint in eastern Ukraine, unable to cross into areas not controlled by the government and in many cases without the financial means to shelter in decent conditions.

“This is a human crisis that needs a human response,” Denber said. “Ukrainian officials and the de-facto authorities should do everything they can to reunite families as quickly as possible, and to ensure that at the crossing points everyone is maintaining social distancing. They should also ensure that in the interim, anyone stranded can stay in dignified conditions.”

Ukraine closed all movement across the line of contact on March 22 as part of its efforts to fight coronavirus COVID-19. Ukraine had 897 coronavirus cases as of Thursday, with 22 reported deaths. The country has been on a lockdown since March 18, with schools, borders, and nonessential business closed.

The armed conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed armed groups in these regions has been ongoing for six years. Since 2014, people who need to cross this line to work, visit family, collect pensions, and the like, must go through checkpoints. In January 2020 alone, there were 1,067,899 crossings. (tl/ez)