The country
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The country regained independence in 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union (the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, USSR). Its capital is Kyiv. Ukraine shares land borders with Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. The country covers an area of 603,550 square kilometers. In 2022, Ukraine had an estimated population of about 43.5 million people, making it one of the most populous countries in Europe. The Eastern European nation is neither a member of the European Union (EU) nor the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The humanitarian situation
Within weeks, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has created one of the largest humanitarian disasters globally. By February 2024, more than 30,000 civilians were recorded killed or wounded as a result of the war, while 23,000 people were recorded missing. Violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law occurring in the course of the ongoing armed attack are widespread. Millions of civilians fear for their lives. People in Ukraine continue to be killed, wounded and deeply traumatized by the violence. Civilian infrastructure on which they depend continues to be destroyed or damaged.
The war in Ukraine has led to one of the three major displacement crises in the world - the others being the Syrian civil war and the Sudanese civil war - with more than 10.2 million people fleeing their homes, as of February 2024. More than 6.5 million refugees have sought refuge in foreign countries, mainly the Russian Federation, Poland and Germany. At least 3.7 million people are currently displaced within Ukraine.
Nearly two years since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, humanitarian needs remain high. Millions of people across the country have endured months of intense hostilities without adequate access to food, water, health care, education, protection and other essential services. Massive destruction of civilian infrastructure has left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without their homes or livelihoods.
The war also has had a devastating impact on the mental health and well-being of children, including the millions who had to flee the country for safety, whether internally or outside. According to the UN Office for Human Rights, more than 1,860 children have been killed or injured in Ukraine since February of last year (as of February 2024).
Humanitarian access in conflict zones is difficult, in particular near the eastern and southern fronts, as well as in territories controlled or occupied by Russian forces. Ukrainian authorities in general allow unhindered access for relief organizations. Missile attacks and other airstrikes on large urban centers impact humanitarian operations across the country, particularly hampering the movement of aid workers and delivery of emergency supplies in eastern Ukraine, where people are in desperate need of assistance.
The return of winter added new dimensions to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, as damage to energy infrastructure and homes put millions of people at risk of deadly temperatures as low as -20°C. Attacks on energy infrastructure have continued across the country, leaving millions of people without electricity, water supplies and heating systems.
Due to the impact of the war in Ukraine, which is driving up the prices of food, fuel and fertilizer, other humanitarian crises around the world are deteriorating. The conflict is exacerbating the already dramatic food situation in many countries, and millions of people worldwide are at risk of starvation.
In 2024, some 14.6 million people in the country will be in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says at least 17.6 million people in Ukraine required humanitarian assistance in 2023. Among them were 5.5 million children. According to OCHA, humanitarian partner organizations have provided so far life-critical aid and protection services to 10.8 million people across the country in 2023.
OCHA and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) have launched a combined US$ 4.2 billion appeal to donors to bring relief aid to some 10.8 million people in the war-affected communities in Ukraine but also to Ukrainian refugees and their host communities in the region throughout 2024. This year's Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) requests US$3.1 billion for 2024 and targets 8.5 million people within the war-torn country. UNHCR, which coordinates the Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP), requests US$1.1 billion and targets 2.3 million refugees and host communities this year.
In 2023, OCHA and UNHCR had jointly appealed for US$5.6 billion (€5.24 billion) to ease the plight of millions of people affected by the war against Ukraine. The Humanitarian Response Plan for Ukraine called for $3.9 billion to reach 11.1 million people with food, health care, cash and other life-saving assistance. The Refugee Response Plan (RRP) for refugees from Ukraine appealed for $1.7 billion.
The security situation
Armed conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine in 2014, following Russia’s occupation and annexation of Crimea, dramatically affecting the lives of millions of people. On February 24, 2022, Russia escalated its conflict with Ukraine by invading the country on several fronts. The 2022 invasion has become the largest conventional military attack on a sovereign state in Europe and created the continent’s largest refugee crisis since World War II.
The invasion has received near universal international condemnation, and many countries have imposed sanctions on Russia and also supplied military aid to Ukraine. In contrast, China and India - the two most populous countries in the world - did not condemn the war and made virtually no effort to end the conflict, even though both countries are the only ones capable of contributing much to it.
The security situation in Ukraine deteriorated rapidly following the launch of the Russian military offensive, with forces crossing into the country from Belarus in the north, Russia in the east and Crimea in the south. The armed violence escalated in at least eight oblasts (administrative regions), including Kyiv Oblast, Kharkiv Oblast, and Chernihiv Oblast, as well as in the eastern oblasts Donetsk and Luhansk which were already affected by the 2014 conflict.
After Russian withdrawal of troops from the Kyiv, Chernihiv and Kharkiv Oblasts, the security situation improved there, at least temporarily. Subsequently, Russia’s self-declared main effort has been on taking control of the Donbas region, though missile attacks and other airstrikes on large urban centers in the whole of Ukraine continue.
Since the summer of 2022, however, most of the fighting has been confined to the east, north and south of the country. The war in Ukraine shows no signs of abating and drives high humanitarian needs across the country, especially in the Donbas region and the southern oblasts of Mykolaiv, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. While active fighting continues near the front lines, civilians bear the brunt of constant attacks.
In a further escalation of the conflict, Russia declared on September 30, 2022 the annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions into the territory of the Russian Federation. On October 10, 2022, the Russian president announced targeted attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. As the Russian Federation rhetorically threatens NATO member states and the use of nuclear weapons, the Ukraine crisis risks escalating into a Third World War with unforeseeable consequences for billions of people globally.
In its first comprehensive report on the situation in Ukraine since Russia's invasion on February 24, 2022, issued in March 2023, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded that the Russian authorities have committed numerous violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, in addition to a wide range of war crimes.
The war crimes include attacks on civilians and energy-related infrastructure, willful killings, torture and inhuman treatment, unlawful confinement, rape and unlawful transfers and deportations of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation. Some of the serious violations of the law may amount to crimes against humanity.
Throughout 2023, the war continued to wreak havoc in Ukraine. The killing and injury of thousands of civilians, including children, the targeting of civilian infrastructure, the disruption of livelihoods and vital services as well as prolonged displacement have triggered a massive humanitarian and protection crisis. With hostilities ravaging communities in the east and south, the war in Ukraine is taking a heavy toll on civilians living close to the front line.
Donations
Your donation for the Ukraine emergency can help United Nations agencies, international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their local partners to rapidly provide water, food, medicine, shelter and other aid to the people who need it most.
- UN Crisis Relief: Ukraine emergency
https://crisisrelief.un.org/ukraine-crisis - International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): Ukraine humanitarian crisis
https://www.icrc.org/en/donate/ukraine - UNHCR: Ukraine emergency
https://www.unhcr.org/ukraine-emergency.html - International Rescue Committee (IRC): Ukraine crisis
https://www.rescue.org/topic/ukraine-crisis - UNICEF: War in Ukraine
https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/war-ukraine-pose-immediate-threat-children - World Food Programme: Ukraine emergency
https://www.wfp.org/emergencies/ukraine-emergency - Plan international: Ukraine appeal
https://plan-international.org/emergencies/ukraine-appeal/ - Action Against Hunger: Ukraine emergency response
https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/donate/ukraine-emergency-response
Many people are already donating to the emergency relief effort in Ukraine. If you would like to support humanitarian crises worldwide with a contribution, you can donate directly to the United Nations Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF).
- UN Crisis Relief: Central Emergency Response Fund
https://crisisrelief.un.org/t/cerf
To find other organizations to which you can donate, visit: Humanitarian Crisis Relief, Refugees and IDPs, Children in Need, Hunger and Food Insecurity, Medical Humanitarian Aid, Vulnerable Groups, Faith-Based Humanitarian Organizations, and Human Rights Organizations.
Further Information
- UN OCHA: Situation Report Ukraine
https://reports.unocha.org/en/country/ukraine/ - UNHCR Operational Data Portal: Ukraine Refugee Situation
https://data.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine - United Nations in Ukraine
https://ukraine.un.org/en - Reliefweb: Ukraine
https://reliefweb.int/country/ukr - ACAPS: Ukraine conflict
https://www.acaps.org/country/ukraine/crisis/conflict - UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): Ukraine
https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/ukraine - Council on Foreign Relations: Global Conflict Tracker: Conflict in Ukraine
https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/conflict-ukraine - European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO): Ukraine
https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/where/europe/ukraine_en - International Crisis Group: Ukraine
https://www.crisisgroup.org/europe-central-asia/eastern-europe/ukraine - Human Rights Watch (HRW): World Report 2023: Ukraine
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/ukraine - Human Rights Watch (HRW): World Report 2024: Ukraine
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2024/country-chapters/ukraine - Amnesty International: World Report 2022/2023: Human rights in Ukraine
https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/europe-and-central-asia/ukraine/report-ukraine/
Last updated: 21/02/2024