All payments to IDPs should be accelerated as winter nears - Vereshchuk

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk has called on the social protection authorities to speed up payments to internally displaced persons as much as possible as winter draws near.

This issue was discussed at a meeting chaired by Vereshchuk, Ukrinform reports, citing the ministry.

It was discussed at the meeting that 147,400 internally displaced persons in the Kyiv region receive social benefits on time. However, the ministry receives numerous appeals from citizens whose payments have been delayed.

"As winter nears, we should speed up all payments to IDPs as much as possible. Social protection is our face. We need to take care of IDPs. There is money. Therefore, no technical reasons can be an obstacle in the appointment and payment of financial assistance," Vereshchuk said.

Earlier reports said the Cabinet of Ministers and the UN and USAID systems would create a platform and headquarters to coordinate the needs of the regions for the winter period.