Amid the new flareup in fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists, there is serious concern about the plight of civilians caught up in the conflict. <br /><br /> The UN says some 3.8 million people are affected, many in need of humanitarian assistance.<br /><br /> Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told a media conference: “Our needs assessment indicate that the closer people live to the contact line between the government and non-government controlled areas the greater the humanitarian needs. <br /><br /> “Not least for, as we have heard, the elderly, women and children who make up over 70% of people in need.”<br /><br /> There is particular concern about renewed shelling around the government-held town of <br />Avdiyivka, which has seen its heaviest fighting in more than six months.<br /><br /> Mykola Chechotkin, head of the Ukrainain State Emergency Service, said: “The safe zone shelled during the night has now renewed its normal functioning. People can now have food there and warm up. <br /><br /> “Apart from that, our units situated in the other regions organised the supply of the humanitarian aid for the town of Avdiyivka”. <br /><br /> At least 33 people including civilians have been killed in fighting over the past week, with several dozen people injured.<br /><br /> Monitors from the OSCE report what they describe as an “incredible” number of ceasefire violations on both sides.<br />
