UN calls on Ukraine to pay pensions to all residents of Donbas
Residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, who live on each side of the contact line, should receive Ukrainian pensions and social benefits , EU countries said in a statement at the meeting of the UN General Assembly.
“It is necessary to ensure appropriate social benefits and pensions regardless of place of residence and according to the Ukrainian legislation and Constitution,” the statement reads.
The Scandinavian countries, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland also urged equal access to pensions and social benefits on each side of the conflict in the Donbas. Their statements were made individually.
Residents of the Donbas territories, which are not under Ukraine’s control, can register as displaced persons in Ukraine in order to receive Ukrainian pensions. In order to complete the registration process, people are required to cross the demarcation line and verify their identity, proving that they are indeed displaced persons who live in the uncontrolled territories.
Ukrainian officials state that verifying the status of displaced persons through physical identification is a necessary measure.