Donetsk, Jun 25 - DAN. The United Donbass Foundation has provided financial aid to nearly 9,000 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 June 22, payments to 8,960 recipients had totalled 317,182,840 rubles,” Balykin said.

The Foundation’s Commission has approved financial aid requests from 9,738, applicants to the tune of 340 million rubles over the designated period,” 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