In the nearly 1,000 days since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, thousands of civilians have been killed, the country's energy capacity is on the brink, and drones are terrifying frontline communities, the UN's top aid official in the country said on Friday. Speaking in Geneva, Matthias Schmale warned that winter posed a critical challenge and described the anguish felt by Ukrainians as the war rages on.
Russia escalated its conflict with Ukraine by invading the country on several fronts on February 24, 2022. This coming Tuesday, November 19, will mark the 1000th day since the war began. Meanwhile, the people of Ukraine continue to be killed, wounded, and deeply traumatized by the violence. The civilian infrastructure on which they depend continues to be destroyed or damaged.
“As we are not only approaching winter but also the sad 1,000-day mark since the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion in 2022, we are of course thinking of the more than 12,000 people have been killed,” said Matthias Schmale, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine.
Since February 2022, the UN has recorded more than 39,000 civilian casualties across Ukraine, with more than 12,000 killed and nearly 27,000 injured, the majority as a result of shelling, artillery and rocket attacks. As in many humanitarian crises around the world, women and children continue to be disproportionately affected by the conflict.
As these are UN-verified figures, the actual numbers are likely to be much higher. According to human rights monitors, many reports, particularly from certain locations - such as Mariupol and Lysychansk - and from the immediate aftermath of February 24, are still being verified due to the large number of reports, or could not be verified due to lack of access to the relevant areas.
According to Ukranian government figures, more than 26,000 people are still listed as missing, including some 11,000 civilians
“To date, civilian infrastructure has been decimated with over 2,000 attacks now on healthcare facilities and two million damaged homes,” Schmale said, adding that the prolonged war had led to widespread trauma and psychological distress among civilians, underscoring the need for mental health support as the war continues.
Since the conflict escalated nationwide in February 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) has verified 2,134 attacks on health care, resulting in 197 deaths and 670 injuries among health workers and patients.
Schmale warned that there is a high concentration of people with disabilities and the elderly remaining in frontline communities in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions, who will need humanitarian assistance whether they stay or choose to evacuate.
In 2024, Ukraine has seen a sharp increase in airstrikes, artillery attacks, and ground fighting along frontline communities, causing widespread devastation and civilian casualties that have led to continued displacement of the population. Intensified attacks on power plants and hospitals have severely disrupted access to basic services, including health care, for millions of people.
Schmale warned that the systematic attacks on energy infrastructure could pose an additional risk in winter, especially for already vulnerable people, if power outages extend beyond a few days in sub-zero temperatures. This was one of the most pressing concerns for people living in high-rise buildings, who are facing their third consecutive freezing winter.
“I am told that by now, 65 percent of Ukraine's own energy production capacity has been destroyed,” the Humanitarian Coordinator said.
Where possible, UN aid teams and partners are delivering solid fuel and warm clothing to vulnerable communities, but the situation is more precarious for the "huge number" of people living in apartment blocks.
“You can evidently not deliver a ton of solid fuel to a high-rise building,” Schmale explained, adding that collective shelters in cities and towns that provide warm meals, a shower and a hot drink were welcome, but “not enough”.
One of the veteran humanitarian's biggest concerns is whether Russian forces will target the energy sector again as the weather turns bitterly cold.
“It could be a tipping point forcing further mass displacement both inside the country and outside the country,” Schmale warned.
The war in Ukraine has led to one of the world's three largest displacement crises - the others being the Sudanese civil war and the Syrian civil war - with more than 10.3 million people forced to flee their homes as of November 2024. While 3.6 million people are still internally displaced, more than 6.7 million refugees have sought refuge abroad, mainly in the Russian Federation, Poland and Germany.
“So, this is not just about technical solutions, it’s about urging the international community to do its bit to stop this war,” the Humanitarian Coordinator said.
The 2024 Ukraine Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) aims to provide assistance and protection to 8.5 million people, amidst nearly four out of ten people in Ukraine in need of humanitarian assistance - some 14.6 million people.
In the first nine months of the year, the UN, national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and voluntary organizations reached 7.2 million people in Ukraine with at least one type of assistance, thanks to the US$1.8 billion received for the humanitarian response.
This year's HRP requested US$3.1 billion for 2024, targeting 8.5 million people in the war-torn country. As of today, the HNRP is 59 percent funded, with $1.84 billion received.
Unlike most other humanitarian response plans, the Ukraine crisis appeal is still receiving enough funding to cover the costs of most humanitarian operations. By contrast, the 2024 Syria Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), the world's largest appeal, which seeks $4.4 billion to provide humanitarian assistance to some 13 million people in Syria, is only 28 percent funded.
In Ukraine, the UN and its partners need $500 million to prepare for winter and meet the emergency needs of 1.8 million people through March by delivering solid fuel, ensuring water systems continue to function and providing cash assistance.
Humanitarian efforts are facing growing challenges, including security risks. The situation on the frontlines is dangerous for communities and aid workers, nine of whom have been killed in the line of duty this year. Humanitarian facilities have also been damaged.
“Many people have told me on my visits that they feel civilians and civilian infrastructure and civil society are increasingly targeted by drone attacks; and drone attacks are terrible, I don’t need to describe that to you,” Schmale said, citing testimony from people who described being followed by drones.
“Some of this is also psychological terror, because […] you never quite know, will they strike or are they just observing?”
Asked by reporters to assess how the new US administration might work to alleviate the suffering in Ukraine, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator emphasized the Secretary-General's wish that the "significant" humanitarian support from the United States would continue.
“They have been by far our biggest individual country supporter,” Schmale said.
“The hope is that they understand like the present administration that there are huge humanitarian needs that need to continue to be addressed.”
For years, the United States has been the world's largest humanitarian donor. The US is also the largest individual contributor to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, providing $695.5 million so far this year.