After five years of war, a humanitarian crisis affecting over 3.5 million people drags on in the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, the parts of eastern Ukraine nominally governed by Russian-backed separatists.
 
A blockade by the Ukrainian government, mistrust among grassroots groups toward Russian aid and the rebel groups’ self-imposed isolation minimise humanitarian access to the rebel-held areas.
 
Both Russia and Ukraine should explore politically neutral options to ease aid delivery to the affected regions. For Kyiv in particular, it is crucial to acknowledge civilians in the east as Ukrainian citizens in dire need of aid, rather than as instruments in political battles.