Donetsk, Apr 23 - DAN. The United Donbass Foundation has provided financial aid to nearly 8,000 residents of the Donetsk region since the start of its operation in the spring of 2017, Foundation chairman Oleg Balykin said at a press briefing at the Donetsk News Agency on Tuesday.

“As of April 20, the Foundation had paid a total of 285,672, 840 rubles worth of benefits to 7,975 people since the beginning of operation,” Balykin said.

Overall, it approved aid to 8,486 applicants to the tune of more than 300 million rubles, he added.

The Donetsk People’s Republic set up the United Donbass Foundation in March 2017 as part of the Donbass people reunification humanitarian programme. Its objective is to help people in a difficult situation both in the DPR and Kiev-held areas of the Donetsk region.*jk