Weekly Update #111
April 15, 2024

Humanitarian Situation Snapshot

(Flash Update – 9 April 2024)

Humanitarian Situation

Over the last few days, attacks continued to impact populated centres in different parts of Ukraine – Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia notably – and communities in front-line areas, bringing new civilian deaths and injuries, including children, and damaging homes and civilian infrastructure. "Double tap" strikes also affected first responders who rushed to help, while aid facilities were impacted, further impeding access to vital assistance.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission to Ukraine verified 29 civilians killed, including a child, and 93 injured, including 3 children, in Dnipropetrovska, Donetska, Kharkivska, Khersonska, Odeska and Zaporizka oblasts in the period from 4 to 9 April. Donetska and Kharkivska oblasts, in the east, accounted for most of the verified casualties – 41 and 39, respectively.

Kharkiv – Ukraine's second largest city with over 1.3 million residents — has been under continuous attacks over the last few days. Dozens of civilians were killed or injured, including a health worker, in the city and across Kharkivska Oblast. Strikes in residential areas of the city damaged houses, energy facilities, schools and kindergartens. A dormitory used as a collective centre for displaced people and a government support centre where people can charge their electronic devices and receive other types of assistance were also damaged.

Several parts of the city and the oblast remain without electricity. At the same time, other critical services, including water supply, are frequently disrupted due to the impact of the latest and previous attacks.

Within the same reporting timeframe, attacks intensified in Donetska and Zaporizka oblasts, east and south-east of the country, with a growing humanitarian impact on civilians. A massive attack in Zaporizhzhia City on 5 April resulted in dozens of civilian casualties and damaged residential buildings.

An aid centre set up by the authorities and supported by humanitarian actors to help displaced people was damaged as well. On 6 April, a medical facility sustained damage in another attack in the city. Civilians were also killed and injured in front-line Huliaipole and Nikopol towns, inZaporizka and Dnipropetrovska oblasts. In Donetska Oblast, scores of civilians were injured and killed, includingchildren. Dozens of houses, health facilities and critical infrastructure sustained new damage.

During attacks in Kharkiv and in Zaporizhzhia on 4 and 5 April, rescuers who arrived at the site were killed or injured insubsequent repeated strikes, including medical and other first responders of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, condemned this apparent pattern of continued attacks,underlining that civilians, aid workers, and first responders helping war-affected civilians must be protected byinternational humanitarian law.

Around the same time, an office of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Pokrovsk Town, the Ukraine-controlled part ofDonetska oblast, was heavily damaged by a blast from a strike on 5 April, injuring a security guard. MSF was forced to suspend all its humanitarian activities besides emergency care and ambulance referral services in the oblast. Thisfurther limits the provision of critical health-care support in areas where the health system has already sustainedcritical damage.

 In 2024 alone, Health Cluster, through the WHO Surveillance System for attacks on health care, verified over 80 suchattacks across Ukraine, resulting in 6 deaths and 35 injuries of health-care workers and patients. This accounts for one-fourth of verified attacks on health globally. Health transport workers – ambulance and other personnel servicinghealth transport – are three times more at risk of injury and death than any other health-care workers, according to WHO.

Furthermore, civilians and civilian infrastructure continued to be impacted in the south of Ukraine, in Khersonska andOdeska oblasts, where, in the latter, port areas were reportedly hit, impacting civilians and port infrastructure.  On 8 April, attacks and strikes damaged houses and injured and killed more civilians, including children, in Sumska andPoltavska oblasts, north-east and centre of Ukraine. In Sumska oblast, the security situation prompted the authoritiesto announce the mandatory evacuation of children with at least one parent or caretaker from two more hromadas

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Following several waves of massive attacks on 4, 5 and 6 April in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and other areas in the east andsouth of Ukraine, aid organizations mobilized emergency response, complementing the efforts of national rescue andmunicipal services.

Health Cluster partners mobilized first aid and psychosocial support to the affected civilians in the immediateaftermath of the strikes. For instance, in Zaporizhzhia City, a rapid response team of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society(URCS) provided first aid and facilitated hospitalization of injured people, and NGO Humanitarian Mission Proliskaoffered psychological support to those affected by the attacks on 6 and 8 April. In Kharkiv City, on 6 April, internationalNGO FHI360 and Humanitarian Mission Proliska conducted 40 on-site mental health and psychosocial supportconsultations.

Furthermore, following a referral from Camp Coordinator and Camp Management Cluster, health partner NGO Stellar Ukraine provided medical consultations to adults and children in the collective centre in Kharkiv, which was affected by a strike.

Partners from Food Security and Livelihoods and Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFIs) clusters distributed hot meals and emergency repair materials to people at the site of the strikes. In Kharkiv, several NGOs and UN agencies,including national NGOs "A Strong Family: Free Ukraine", Mission

Proliska, Right to Protection, "We Are Brothers: We Are Ukrainians", and international NGO FHI360, provided hot meals and distributed emergency repair materials to theaffected families. In Zaporizhzhia, national NGOs Artak, Beluga, Mission Proliska and PosmishkaUA deliveredconstruction materials to cover the damaged windows and other critical non-food supplies to the affected people.Shelter and NFI Cluster partners also coordinated with Health Cluster partners emergency repairs to a medical facilitydamaged by a blast wave in Zaporizhzhia City.

On 8 April, NGO Mission Proliska delivered materials for emergency repairs to the affected residents in Kherson City and Sumska Oblast, which suffered from attacks in Poltavska Oblast, ADRA, IOM, Mission Proliska and Right to Protection distributed emergency repair materials, essential household itemsand food parcels.

Additionally, people were reached with protection assistance, including psychosocial support, legal counselling, andbasic hygiene and sanitation supplies provided by the United Nations Population Fund and other partners.

The NGO Right to Protection registered families affected by recent strikes for cash assistance in Poltavska Oblast.

Emergency assistance complemented regular response activities, including aid delivery to heavily affected front-lineareas in Kharkivska and Khersonska oblasts through two inter-agency convoys on 5 April.

Humanitarians continue to assess the needs resulting from the latest attacks across Ukraine to provide further support.

NOTE: This Flash Update is prepared through collected public information and current response data from clusters and partners available at the time of publication and could be amended as the situation evolves.

Source: OCHA

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The Ukrainian Red Cross continues its efforts to provide comfortable and cozy conditions in shelters for internally displaced persons in the Cherkasy region

In the Kamianka urban territorial community, the Cherkasy regional organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross actively supported the development and reconstruction of a shelter in the region. This house can accommodate approximately 60 people and is situated in a cozy location. It features 20 rooms for families, service areas, a kitchen unit, and sanitary facilities.

The Cherkasy regional organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross supports a project to prepare the shelter to accommodate people fleeing their homes to escape danger. The organization has already purchased and delivered 6 refrigerators, 8 microwave ovens, 4 electric cookers, 4 washing machines, 7 electric kettles, 13 dining tables, 52 dining chairs, and one powerful generator. During the spring, we plan to provide the place with additional necessary furniture, including wardrobes, bedside tables, single and bunk beds, mattresses, kitchen cabinets, etc.

The Cherkasy regional organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross directs its efforts and resources to help internally displaced families. Most IDPs are women and children whose homes were destroyed by the war. Thus, it is important not only to provide people with accommodation but also to prioritize coziness, seeking to recreate the comfort reminiscent of their homes as closely as possible.

This assistance is made possible with the support of the Canadian Red Cross.

Source: Ukrainian Red Cross Society

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Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI) Trends 

Due to the ongoing full-scale war in Ukraine, humanitarian market data is limited and incomplete, especially from conflict-affected areas. The Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI) seeks to fill this information gap by providing useful and timely data on price trends and market functionality indicators.
Marketplaces across Ukraine are assessed on a monthly basis. In each location, field teams record prices and other market indicators through retailer and customer key informants (KIs) interviews that characterize monthly changes in the local markets.

The goal of the JMMI is to track prices and availability of basic commodities in Ukraine markets on a monthly basis; assess the impact of the current humanitarian crisis on market systems in Ukraine; contribute to a broader understanding of the market environment in Ukraine for the benefit of humanitarian actors across all sectors.

KEY FINDINGS

• The economy appears to have been recovering throughout 2023 due to the adaptability of businesses and the population to the war conditions. Markets demonstrated resilience, efficiently supporting basic needs on a national scale. Essential items, including food and hygiene items, remained consistently available in most parts of the country throughout the year. Good harvests contributed to a slowdown in inflation, logistical and trade restrictions on exports kept domestic agricultural product prices below global levels. Moreover, there was a notable decrease in the proportion of customer KIs reporting difficulty accessing shops, and in the proportion of retailer KIs reporting difficulties in maintaining operational and well-stocked stores.

• Markets’ supplying capacities have strengthened in most parts of Ukraine as the availability of and physical access to goods is no longer a major concern nationally. However, the situation seemed to be different in areas close to the frontline, especially in Khersonska oblast, which still faced concerns regarding the availability of warm clothes, medications, and vehicle fuel.

• However, affordability remained a critical nationwide issue, increasing slightly towards the end of the year. The proportion of consumer KIs considering that increased item prices restricted their access to commodities rose to 61% by the end of the year, indicating the rising cost of living, as well as the depletion of coping capacity.

• Financial services remained accessible to the Financial services remained accessible to the majority of customers throughout the year. Nevertheless, residents of the South, particularly in Khersonska and Zaporizka oblasts, encountered challenges, including a scarcity of bank branches and ATMs, insufficient cash in ATMs, and interruptions due to power outages.

• From an item availability and market functionality perspective, multi-purpose cash (MPC) remained an appropriate modality for assistance in large parts of the country. However, continued monitoring, in particular in areas with heightened insecurity and barriers to access to financial services remained essential to determine the most effective form of humanitarian assistance.

• According to the data from the State Statistic Service of Ukraine (SSSU) inflation slowed to 5.1% at the end of 2023 after experiencing a substantial increase to 26.6% at the end of 2022

• The decline in food prices in December 2023 compared to December 2022 was primarily driven by lower prices for specific vegetables, including a notable drop in the prices for carrots (by 52%), onions (by 52%), and cabbage (by 21%), as well as lower prices for buckwheat (by 61%). At the same time, potato prices saw a substantial increase, rising by 59%.

• Following difficulties at the beginning of the full-scale war, the availability of goods witnessed a significant improvement across most government controlled areas, maintaining consistently high levels throughout 2023. The recovery of market functionality played a crucial role. By the end of 2023, despite some improvement, the availability of medications in Khersonska oblast remained a point of concern.

Source: REACH

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The Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC)

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), an umbrella of UK charities focusing on coordinating humanitarian responses to crises in different parts of the world.  launched the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal in March 2022 to support people affected by the conflict.

£426 MILLION raised by the UK public including £25 million matched by the UK Government

6.9 MILLION people estimated to have been helped using funds raised by the DEC

This includes people who stayed in the areas where they live, those displaced elsewhere in Ukraine and refugees who travelled to neighbouring countries. There are 13 DEC member charities involved in this response. They are working with local partners on 37 projects in five countries: Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Moldova and Hungary.

Two years on, and the situation in Ukraine remains volatile. The capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, continues to come under aerial threat and the number of civilian deaths continues to rise. The continued movement of displaced people within Ukraine and refugees moving to neighbouring countries and back to Ukraine can make it difficult to target support to those in need. People are still struggling to access shelter, food, essential healthcare and financial support.

The organization’s report  looks at the 12-month period from September 2022 to August 2023 and gives examples of how member charities and local partners used DEC funding to respond to the conflict during this time.

Thanks to the generosity of the UK public, the DEC had raised £421.9 million for the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal by the end of August 2023. This money is being used to fund the work of 13 member charities and their local partners on the ground.

Together, they are helping affected people in Ukraine and refugees and host communities in Poland, Romania, Moldova and Hungary. This includes providing food to families and helping refugee children overcome traumatic experiences.

The Russian military command likely assesses that Ukrainian forces will be unable to defend against current and future Russian offensive operations due to delays in or the permanent end of US military assistance. Russian forces have recently periodically shifted their focus among offensive operations in the Lyman, Chasiv Yar, and Pokrovsk directions; Russian forces first prioritized the capture of Avdiivka in early 2024, alongside simultaneous but less intense operations along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, then leaned into the Lyman direction while slightly decreasing the tempo near Avdiivka, and now are intensifying efforts to seize Chasiv Yar in March-April 2024. Though Russian forces likely lack the ability to conduct more than one simultaneous effective large-scale operational effort as they have throughout the war, Russian forces are now able to use multiple alternating offensive efforts to stretch Ukrainian defensive capabilities amid Ukrainian artillery and air defense shortages.

The offensive effort to seize Chasiv Yar offers Russian forces the most immediate prospects for operationally significant advances as the seizure of the town would likely allow Russian forces to launch subsequent offensive operations against the cities that form in effect a significant Ukrainian defensive belt in Donetsk Oblast. Russian forces have long aimed to capture a group of major cities in Donetsk Oblast that include Slovyansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Kostyantynivka, and the Russian military initially attempted and failed to conduct a wide operational encirclement of Ukrainian forces in eastern Donetsk Oblast by driving on Slovyansk in spring 2022.

The Russian seizure of Chasiv Yar would allow Russian forces to begin attacking the southern “fortress” cities in the Ukrainian defensive belt directly. Chasiv Yar is roughly seven kilometers from Kostyantynivka (the southernmost “fortress” city) and roughly 20 kilometers from Druzhkivka. 

Russian threats to Druzhkivka and Kostyantynivka are very operationally significant since these “fortress” cities help form the backbone of the Ukrainian defense in Donetsk Oblast and of eastern Ukraine in general. The isolation of Kostyantynivka or the outright seizure of the settlement would likely significantly degrade Ukraine’s ability to hold the frontline further south in Donetsk Oblast as it would sever a major ground line of communication along the H-20 (Kostyantynivka-Donetsk City) highway.

Ukrainian defences are 'at risk of collapse' as officials fear major Russian advance - and all-out assault to seize second city.   Western officials have been raising concerns in recent media reports that Ukraine's defences may be at risk of collapse in the face of a new Russian assault.  Ukraine is facing shortages of both manpower and ammunition, and increasingly appears outmanned and outgunned on the battlefield. The country is now at its "most fragile moment" since the war began, Western officials with knowledge of the situation told Bloomberg. 

They warned Russia could be given an opening to make a major advance for the first time since near the beginning of the war.  It follows reports Ukraine's second-largest city could be among the possible targets for a renewed Russian assault - with many analysts suggesting Vladimir Putin is likely to launch an all-out offensive at some point over the coming months. 

The city of Kharkiv has faced intense bombardment from Russia in recent months, coming under fire from S-300 ballistic missiles and glide bombs.  Vladimir Putin previously spoke about creating a "buffer zone" on Ukraine's border to stem the attacks on Russia. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who inspected Ukrainian defensive fortifications in the Kharkiv region on Tuesday, has said Russia may be preparing a big offensive in late May or in June.

However, it's thought that seizing Kharkiv would be difficult for Moscow - not least because it failed spectacularly at doing so in 2022.

The Eastern front has 'deteriorated significantly,' Ukraine says.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi warned on Saturday that the situation on the eastern front had "deteriorated significantly" in recent days.

The comments come after Russia began to make inroads in Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk this year as Kyiv's forces are dogged by manpower and ammunition shortages, amid delays in Western aid. 

"The enemy is actively attacking our positions in the Lyman and Bakhmut sectors with assault groups supported by armored vehicles. In the Pokrovsk sector, they are trying to break through our defense using dozens of tanks and armored personnel carriers," the commander-in-chief said.

Ukraine has said the situation around the eastern frontline city of Chasiv Yar is "difficult and tense" with the area under "constant fire." Chasiv Yar lies 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of Bakhmut, which was flattened by months of artillery fire before being seized by Moscow's forces last May.

Sources: ISW

SKY News

DW