UN expects Ukraine's humanitarian situation to worsen

The UN expects the humanitarian situation in Ukraine to deteriorate and plans to provide assistance to 11 million Ukrainians by the end of the year.

Source: Saviano Abreu, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Ukraine (OCHA), in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine

Details: There are 18 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Ukraine at present, and the humanitarian situation is likely to deteriorate as Russia's constant attacks persist and the winter season approaches, he stressed.

Quote: "The full-scale invasion led to a grave humanitarian crisis here. There was a humanitarian situation in the country, but it was not as catastrophic as it is now. We’re talking about 18 million people that need humanitarian assistance. It’s almost half of the people that are in Ukraine now," Abreu noted.

Details: Responding to whether the UN expects the humanitarian situation in Ukraine to deteriorate, Abreu said yes, "if the pattern that we observed in the first six months of the year will continue".

"Unfortunately, what we could see in the first six months of the year is that the situation is getting worse. Especially in the frontline the situation is getting worse and worse. We do see an increased number of Russian attacks impacting civilians, destroying, once again, vital infrastructure. If the war continues, and it appears to be the case, the needs of the population will either continue, because they cannot recover and go back to the situation that they were before, or it increases," he explained.

Abreu said OCHA plans to provide winter assistance to about 1.3 million people from October to March. Specifically, the support may include covering rent for internally displaced persons or their utility bills.

Abreu noted that such assistance targets people in areas away from the frontline. As for those living near the contact line, they will receive support mainly related to emergency housing repairs.

"We will do repairs that are going to keep people safe and warm during the winter. Also, many communities near the frontline have difficulties with access to supplies and markets are disrupted. So we go with assistance, with items to this area of the country. During the winter, this assistance would include winter clothes, blankets, heating appliances," the OCHA said.

Furthermore, Abreu added that another part of their work is to support municipal and district hromadas to ensure heat, electricity and water supply in winter [a hromada is an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories – ed.].

They are also working to prevent livestock from dying in winter.

The speaker said they organise two or three humanitarian convoys to the frontline areas weekly, particularly to Donbas.

"We go very frequently to areas close to the frontline in the Donbas region. We go usually all together with many different UN agencies, NGOs as well, they join our convoys, organized by our office," Abreu pointed out.

Background: In 2022, the UN sharply increased the volume of humanitarian assistance in Ukraine. Specifically, this includes water, food, help with housing repairs, preparation of compact living areas, provision of medical and educational services, and financial aid.

Last year, 16 million people in Ukraine got aid.

In 2023, almost 8 million people have already been provided with support.

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