Emergency food aid for civilians caught up in the conflict in Ukraine is being stepped up, the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) said.
The Rome-based agency said it is going to distribute food parcels and food vouchers to close to 190,000 people who have been displaced or trapped near the frontline, and launched a 9-million-dollar funding appeal.
"The humanitarian situation has deteriorated over the last few months in Donetsk and Luhansk with people fleeing their homes and taking refuge with extended families, in shelters, rented apartments and even in railway carriages," WFP official Carlo Scaramella said.
WFP said food prices in war-ravaged parts of eastern Ukraine are rising "dramatically" compared to last year - by 30 per cent for bread and milk and by 75-80 per cent for meat and cheese.