If bills are not paid, deliveries aren't made. Last Fall, Russian Red Cross assessment teams reported that there is a genuine concern among thousands of people about how they would survive the winter. As political and economic instability continue to plague Russia, the concern over survival continues. Sickness or lack of warm clothing force many children to stay home from school. The aid will come in food assistance, hygiene products, medical supplies and warm winter clothing.
Frost bite is another problem plaguing the arctic region.
Salaries and pensions have not been paid, shops have nothing to sell, hospitals have run out of medicines. People are becoming desperate. Alcoholism and depression are taking their toll, along with killer diseases such as tuberculosis. The IFRC has fallen short of its funding target and is still in need of donors to help supply clothes, medicine, food for children, and hygiene and nursing kits in critical areas in northern Russia. Throughout the region, the Red Cross is facing increasing financial difficulties in responding to the most basic needs of the poorest parts of the population.