Russian aggression in the

Donbas, a major coal and steel producing region, has cost Ukraine more than 1,000 soldiers

killed and up to 10 percent in economic contraction, which is why the

country now has to rely on foreign help to improve the situation.

On Nov. 13 Japan’s ambassador

to Ukraine, Shigeki Sumi, presented a $5.8 million support package aimed at

reconstruction of the schools and hospitals in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. It

comes along the $1.5 billion project that Japan announced in March to provide

Ukraine with money it needs to undergo the reforms focused on cutting the

fiscal deficit and fighting the corruption.