Donetsk, Aug 15 - DAN. A commission of United Donbass Foundation has approved more than nine million rubles worth of financial aid for 295 residents of DPR and Kiev-held arears since the start of its operation, Foundation chairman Oleg Balykin told a news briefing at Donetsk News Agency on Tuesday.

“The Commission approved 295 applications to pay 9,055,540 rubles of financial aid in total, ” Balykin said.

Nearly five million roubles will be paid to 149 residents of Kiev-controlled territory of Donetsk region, and the remaining sum will be paid to 146 DPR citizens.

United Donbass Foundation has held eight sessions since the start of its operation. It reviewed 374 applications at the latest meeting on 11 August, approving 74 requests for financial assistance (38 from DPR and 36 from Kiev-held territory of Donetsk Region).  Payments are to begin shortly.

DPR launched United Donbass Foundation on 9 March 2017 as part of the Donbass people reunification programme approved by DPR and LPR heads Alexander Zakharchenko and Igor Plotnitskiy on 17 February 2017.

The programme envisions cash payments and provision of food and medications which can also be contributed by DPR residents. Nine groups are eligible for assistance, including persons in the 1st and 2nd disability categories, single parent families with children up to 18 years of age, families with three or more children up to 18 years of age, citizens aged over 65 and some other groups.

As of today, 208 applicants have received financial assistance which totalled some 6.5 million roubles.*jk