Today, at the end of a local visit, mgr. Michael Landau, President of Caritas Europe, made an urgent call not to forget Ukraine and its population. The country and its population are suffering terribly because of Russia’s increasing attacks, and the difficulties and the need for humanitarian support are increasing ever more. The population is infinitely grateful for any help, but at the same time there is a great fear of being forgotten by the world because of the many other crises and conflicts, mgr. Landau stated at an interview he had with the news agency Kathpress today. He recently took part in a Caritas international conference at Ivano-Frankivsk and also visited Lviv. In June, the number of killed and injured civilians reached a new high at over 1,500, and the humanitarian consequences of such relentless attacks are equally tragic. In particular, older and displaced persons are the most vulnerable, but psychological stress on children is huge, mgr. Landau said: “People are dragged out of their beds night after night. At best, the fear remains; at worst, it’s death”. Since February 2022, there have been more than 62,000 air-raid warnings. He wonders “how people can bear all this”. Over 12 million people depend on humanitarian aid, which is about 40% of the population. “The war has left a deep mark on society. No village, no town is without victims; there is huge pain, but there’s also unimaginable strength”, the President of Caritas Europe reported. There’s a great longing for peace, “but people also know that, if they stop defending themselves, Ukraine will no longer exist as they know it”. Landau warned against the tragic repercussions of the aid cuts, both internationally and in Austria: he also asked the Austrian Government not to cut all domestic aids to Ukrainian refugees in Austria; the goal must be including as many people as possible into the labour market, so that they can support themselves. Mgr. Landau also called on Austrians’ solidarity with the Ukrainian population and asked for more donations. With 30 euros, one could provide an emergency food supply for a family for about one month.