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© EPA/ROMAN PILIPEY
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is planning to expand operations in eastern Ukraine, including Lugansk, where the situation remains tense, the independent aid agency's spokesperson Anastasia Isyuk told ITAR-TASS on Saturday.

"We are planning to expand our activities in Lugansk and eastern Ukraine as a whole. The ICRC team has begun assessing the needs," she said.

How fast the ICRC will be able to increase its presence in eastern Ukraine will depend on the results of the talks the ICRC advance group, working in Lugansk since August 20, is conducting with the warring sides, Isyuk said.

"They meet constantly with representatives of the warring sides despite continuous shelling, evaluate performance and assess the regions' needs," she said.