Ukraine

After a decade of hostilities and approaching four years into the full-scale war on Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the people of Ukraine continue to endure immense suffering. The severe humanitarian situation caused by the war is fueled by relentless attacks on cities, towns and villages along the front-line regions in the east, south and northeast. Those worst affected by the ongoing war are exposed to severe and life- threatening conditions.

Hostilities intensified significantly, with the length of the front line in Ukraine expanding since August 2023, notably in northern Kharkivska Oblast, and violence increasing in Sumska and Chernihivska oblasts. The most significant incidents affecting civilians and leading to mass evacuations occurred in Kharkivska, Donetska and Sumska oblasts between May and November 2024. Between August and September, authorities in Donetska Oblast evacuated families with children from over 40 towns and villages.¹ As a result, the population of the front- line town of Pokrovsk in Donetska Oblast decreased significantly to around 11,500 from 50,000.²

Since the escalation of the war in February 2022, until mid-October 2024, nearly 6.8 million refugees³ from Ukraine have been recorded – 92 per cent of them in Europe. Inside Ukraine, an estimated 3.6 million people⁴ remain internally displaced as of October 2024. Of these, 79,000 of the most vulnerable are housed in nearly 1,800 collective sites across 23 oblasts and the city of Kyiv, constituting around 2 per cent of the displaced population.

A striking 82 per cent of internally displaced people (IDPs) have been displaced for more than a year, having fled their homes during the first year of the full-scale war with no viable prospects for return in the foreseeable future. With expanded government-led evacuation mandates, more people continue to be evacuated and displaced from and within the east and north. Among the most vulnerable are also an estimated 12.6 million people who were not displaced from their homes but who have been directly affected by the war. These groups have heightened needs due to destruction of critical civilian infrastructure and limited access to services, with the highest concentrations found in front-line regions and areas along the border with Russia.

In the areas under the occupation of the Russian Federation, indicative/anecdotal data shows that humanitarian conditions of an estimated one million people are devastating, with civilians experiencing the acute effects of the war and without the scale of support to meet their needs.⁵

The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is a protection crisis. Civilians are subjected to serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. Verified civilian casualties between 2022 and the end of October 2024 reached nearly 39,000, including over 12,000 deaths, of which more than 2,400 were children.⁶ More than half of the civilian casualties in the second quarter of 2024 occurred over 10 kilometres from the front line.⁷ These figures are presumed to underrepresent the true extent of civilian casualties as access constraints make it difficult to verify all reports. Ongoing hostilities and the pervasive presence of landmines or other explosive ordnance have led to a rising demand for trauma and emergency care, rendering many regions unsafe and preventing many displaced families from returning home. Older people and people with disabilities are particularly vulnerable because they are unable to self- evacuate and need specific support, leaving them isolated and without access to necessary services.⁸ Women and men, and girls and boys in Ukraine continue to face different and often multiple forms of violence, particularly sexual violence, which are reported to be increasing due to conflict-related factors.

Beyond the physical destruction, the prolonged war has exposed millions to trauma and psychological distress due to constant uncertainty, fear of attacks, grave protection risks and aggravated mental health among all age groups, with some 63 per cent of households reporting at least one form of mental health challenge.⁹ Children are particularly vulnerable, with an estimated 1.5 million children at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and other mental health issues.¹⁰ Internally displaced people report mental health challenges more frequently than those who have remained in their communities. The needs are especially acute in front-line areas in the east and south, as well as in parts of the northern region bordering the Russian Federation.

The destruction of critical infrastructure in Ukraine has been catastrophic since the escalation of the war. Civilian infrastructure, such as power grids, water supply networks and transportation infrastructure, have been targeted, severely disrupting people’s
access to basic services and deepening the needs of the most vulnerable.¹¹ Targeted attacks on energy infrastructure have drastically reduced the country’s power-generating capacity, disrupting essential services such as water, gas and winter heating, and affecting homes, collective shelters, schools and health facilities, adding to the country’s hardship. These could lead to life-threatening conditions in the harsh winter months when temperatures can plunge to minus 20 degrees Celsius.

Hospitals and schools have not been spared from attacks. About 3,600 educational institutions, including nearly 2,000 schools, have suffered damage with some 371 educational facilities totally destroyed since the escalation of the war.¹² The World Health Organization (WHO) reported over 2,100 attacks on health-care facilities, which have claimed at least 197 lives, including those of health workers and patients, and injured many more, severely disrupting health services.¹³ Schools that remain operational in many areas are overstretched and have shortages of qualified teachers. In front-line areas where in-person education is impossible, e-learning is not always a viable alternative due to unstable Internet connections and unreliable electricity. This has left a generation of Ukrainian children with limited access to education.

It is estimated that the direct cost of destruction from the war could be up to US$152 billion.¹⁴ The housing sector is the most severely impacted, accounting for nearly $56 billion, or 37 per cent of the total damage, followed by transport (about $34 billion, or 22 per cent), commerce and industry (nearly $16 billion, or 10 per cent), energy (some $11 billion, or 7 per cent) and agriculture ($10 billion, or 7 per cent). As of December 2023, an estimated 2 million housing units were damaged¹⁵ predominantly in Donetska, Kharkivska, Luhanska, Zaporizka, Khersonska and Kyivska oblasts. Disruptions to economic activities and production contributed to an estimated economic loss exceeding $499 billion, with widespread unemployment.¹⁶

Ukraine’s economy in 2024 remains heavily impacted by the war, with businesses and livelihood activities badly affected, particularly in regions heavily reliant on agriculture and industry. Relentless airstrikes and artillery bombardments have devastated Ukraine’s industrial hubs in the eastern regions, rendering substantial parts of the country’s economic infrastructure inoperable. In urban areas, the collapse of local economies and insecurity have forced many businesses to close, in some cases temporarily, or reduce operations.¹⁷ The breach of the Kakhovka Dam in June 2023 continues to affect farming and fishing, compromising food security. Since the escalation of the war, the number of people living in poverty has increased by at least 1.8 million¹⁸ – with up to over 9 million people living in poverty as coping mechanisms have been depleted and expenditures on health, education and other critical basic services are compromised.¹⁹ Nearly 60 per cent of assessed households identified livelihood needs as their highest priority, especially in front-line areas and along the border with Russia.²⁰ The war has disrupted employment, particularly for displaced people and those in war-affected oblasts.²¹ Economic recovery is projected to slow to 3.2 per cent compared to 4.8 per cent in 2023.²²