Humanitarian situation overview
The humanitarian situation in Ukraine deteriorated drastically and rapidly in 2022, following the dramatic escalation of eight years of conflict in east of the country into a full-scale war. Since the Russian Federation's 24 February invasion of Ukraine, the number of people in need of humanitarian aid and protection increased from approximately 3 million people to nearly 18 million, and hostilities and fighting spread across the country. Throughout the year, millions of Ukrainians endured intense hostilities, which killed and injured thousands of civilians, forced millions from their homes, destroyed jobs and livelihoods, and left many struggling to access food, water, health care, education, a safe place to live and other essential services. For people in the east of the country – in Donetska and Luhanska oblasts – this only further exhausted their coping capacities, already limited by the years of fighting in the region.
Massive destruction of civilian infrastructure across the country decimated essential services, including energy, water supply, and heating. During the last quarter of 2022, continued attacks on energy infrastructure caused an energy crisis, testing the whole country’s resilience and creating a new dimension of the humanitarian crisis, as the country entered the cold winter season. Millions have been left without power, heating and water for days on end across Ukraine. The energy crisis also exacerbated challenges for those close to the front lines, already dealing with lack of access to water, electricity and gas for months.
With a number of large-scale attacks reported throughout the first ten months of the war, the year ended with several major strikes, including in the front-line city of Kherson on 24 December, which reportedly led to over 70 civilian casualties. Among the injured were two aid workers from a local implementing partner of the World Food Programme. Furthermore, the Kherson authorities reported two health facilities damaged by missile strikes. Since Kherson was retaken in early November, the city and other parts of the oblast have been subject to constant bombardment. Aid workers and aid distribution facilities have been impacted by attacks in Khersonska oblast and other parts of Ukraine throughout the year. Similarly, civilians on the other side of the front line endured constant shelling, and humanitarian facilities were also hit in areas under Russian control in December 2022.
Overall, the toll on civilians has been devastating – 17,994 casualties had been verified by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) at the end of 2022, including 429 children killed and 808 injured. The number, which is significantly higher than the 10,106 civilian casualties verified in the previous eight years of conflict, represents only a fraction of the actual toll, as the verification process has faced immense challenges, including a lack of access to areas under the military control of the Russian Federation.
Access to health services was severely restricted, particularly in areas close to the front line or in regions that shifted control during the year. According to the WHO Surveillance System, 763 attacks on health-care facilities were reported in 2022, which led to at least 101 deaths and 131 injuries. The attacks on health-care facilities in Ukraine in 2022, accounting for 70 per cent of all attacks against health-care facilities in the world, left up to 50 per cent of medical facilities non-functional in some parts of the east and south, including Donetska, Zaporizka and Mykolaivska oblasts, according to WHO. The access to health care was further limited by the displacement of health workers, leaving regions with few doctors to attend to people when they needed it the most. The energy crisis added to challenges, with hospitals across Ukraine having to make difficult choices to reduce services and focus only on urgent cases.
The war has also caused immense mental trauma, particularly on children. Authorities reported an estimated 15 million Ukrainians to be in need of psycho-social support because of the war. WHO also concluded that at least 9.6 million people may have mental health conditions after been exposed to the horrors of fighting and hostilities. From overcoming war trauma, to social isolation, to daily struggles without power and heating, to displacement-related challenges and more, the consequences of the war are expected to cause mental health problems for at least five years after the war ends.
Mine and other explosive ordnance threats increased, in a country already considered one of the world’s most mine-contaminated regions before Russia’s full-scale invasion. The situation was particularly concerning in areas retaken by the Government of Ukraine in the east and south of the country, as Russian troops allegedly heavily mined the areas before retreating. Ukrainian authorities reported that the areas contaminated with mines and explosives had increased tenfold since the start of the war, with an estimated 30 per cent of the country’s territory contaminated by mines. According to the same source, almost 600 people were killed (185) or injured (over 400) in mine detonations since February 2022.
