Weekly Update #166
May 5, 2025

Emergency Response: UNHCR and partners continue to provide psychological first aid, emergency shelter material, emergency cash assistance, essential items, and legal counselling to people affected by recent attacks, complementing the response of local authorities. In March and April, intensified aerial attacks across several regions led to civilian casualties and widespread damage to residential areas, medical and educational facilities, industries, and infrastructure. On 23 April, an overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv killing 10 people and injured more than 70 – including 6 children. UNHCR partners Rokada and R2P provided immediate MHPSS, legal and emergency shelter support. In Kryvyi Rih, Proliska provided NFIs and psychosocial support to survivors of a deadline strike on 4 April, as well as emergency shelter materials to 534 people. UNHCR and partner The Tenth of April also delivered emergency shelter kits and materials to 460 households in Khersonska (benefiting 854 individuals), and 234 households in Odeska (benefiting 611 individuals). In Dnipro city and surrounding areas, over 1,000 windows were shattered, 41 vehicles damaged, and numerous buildings affected during March. UNHCR partner Proliska supported 482 households with emergency construction materials, 190 with NFIs, and provided protection consultations and psychosocial support, while R2P delivered legal counselling.

Child Protection: To strengthen Child Protection and safety and protection initiatives for women, boys and girls, UNHCR through its partners Proliska and TTA distributed 50 laptops to social service providers in various communities of Zaporizka, Dnipropetrovska, Poltavska and Donetska regions in March, to reinforce the capacity and quality of services provided by these institutions.

Source: UNHCR Situation Flash Update #79

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EDUCATION OF REFUGEE CHILDREN AND YOUTH FROM UKRAINE

This April 2025 report analyzes the educational situation of refugee children and youth from Ukraine displaced in Europe due to the ongoing war. Based mainly on UNHCR surveys (2023 MSNA and 2024 SEIS) across ten host countries, it highlights key trends and challenges.

Key Findings:

• Scale of Displacement: Europe hosts the vast majority (over 6.3 million) of the 6.9 million globally displaced Ukrainians, primarily women and children. Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic host the largest numbers.

• Increasing Enrolment: There is a positive trend of increasing enrolment in host country education systems. Estimates show enrolment rose from ~289,000 in late 2022 to ~713,000 in early 2025 across Europe. The 2024 SEIS survey indicated 79% of children in the ten surveyed countries were enrolled in host country education.

• Role of Remote Learning: Remote and online learning via the Ukrainian curriculum remains prevalent. In the 2024 SEIS, 45% of children participated in some form of remote/online learning (16% exclusively, 29% alongside host country schooling). While overall participation in remote learning has decreased since 2023, nearly 358,000 children abroad are still formally linked to the Ukrainian education system remotely.

• Barriers Persist: Continued engagement with remote Ukrainian education is the primary reason cited for not enrolling in host country schools. Language barriers are the second most significant obstacle.

• Vulnerable Groups: Children with disabilities and recent arrivals face greater difficulties accessing host country education, with widening gaps compared to previous data.

• Gender Parity: Enrolment rates are broadly similar for boys and girls, though girls show a slightly higher tendency to combine host country schooling with remote learning and have a slightly higher out-of-school rate.

• Risks and Opportunities: Despite progress, many children remain outside host country systems, relying on remote learning, which carries long-term risks for educational outcomes and well-being. Opportunities include host countries improving access, capacity, and support services (especially language support and for vulnerable groups), and Ukraine providing flexible educational pathways like the "Ukrainian Component" to maintain educational continuity and facilitate grade recognition.

Military Situation

• Front Lines: Intense fighting continues, primarily concentrated in eastern and southern Ukraine. Russia currently occupies approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory. Recent Russian advances have been reported near Toretsk in the Donetsk region. Russia also states it is creating a "security strip" in Ukraine's Sumy region near the border.

• Border Clashes: Limited fighting continues near the Russia-Ukraine border, particularly in Russia's Kursk and Belgorod regions, where Ukrainian forces maintain some presence following earlier incursions.

• Aerial & Naval Warfare: Drone attacks are a major feature of the conflict, frequently launched by both sides against cities, infrastructure, and military targets. Recent Russian drone strikes hit Kyiv and other cities, causing casualties, while Ukraine has targeted Moscow and industrial sites within Russia. Ukraine recently claimed a novel success using sea drones armed with missiles to down Russian fighter jets over the Black Sea.

• Strategic Outlook: Russia appears committed to a long war effort, maintaining its initial objectives, which analysts suggest are tantamount to demanding Ukraine's surrender.

Diplomatic Efforts:

• Ceasefire Negotiations: Diplomatic activity, including US-led efforts, has increased recently but has not resulted in a breakthrough. Russia proposed a short, 3-day ceasefire (May 7-9) for its Victory Day commemorations, which Ukraine rejected as inadequate for substantive talks. Ukraine maintains that a ceasefire of at least 30 days is necessary to allow diplomacy a chance.

• International Involvement: China's President Xi Jinping is visiting Moscow for Victory Day events, highlighting continued ties with Russia. The US remains engaged in diplomacy.

• Military Support for Ukraine: International military aid continues, including efforts by the Czech Republic to coordinate the supply of artillery shells and the US providing additional air defense systems.

Addendum: Re-Prioritization of the Ukraine 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (April 2025)

As Ukraine enters the fourth year of war following the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation in February 2022, the humanitarian context continues to grow in complexity and severity. Communities across the country are enduring relentless attacks, mass displacement, and the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure. Front-line areas remain under near-constant shelling, while systematic strikes on energy infrastructure have severely disrupted electricity and other essential services nationwide. In 2025, an estimated 12.7 million people—one in three Ukrainians—will require humanitarian assistance, with the most acute needs concentrated in eastern, southern, and northern oblasts.

These challenges are now compounded by a sharp and sudden contraction in humanitarian funding, driven in part by the suspension of humanitarian programming by the Government of the United States in January 2025, but also by the anticipated reduction of the overall availability of humanitarian funding for the year.

In response to this evolving context, in line with the Emergency Relief Coordinator's call for a ‘Humanitarian Reset,’ and under the guidance of the Humanitarian Coordinator, the humanitarian community in Ukraine has undertaken a principled, evidence-based reprioritization of the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP). The process was informed by severity data, updated needs assessments, partners presence, and consultations with humanitarian actors.

Source: OCHA

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Education continues: Over 21,000 children return to renovated schools thanks to EU and UNDP

66 schools in 11 oblasts of Ukraine have been restored through the “EU4UASchools: Build Back Better” initiative

The European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine have completed a comprehensive initiative to restore educational infrastructure — the “EU4UASchools: Build Back Better” project — implemented in partnership with the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine.

The project covered 66 schools across 11 oblasts affected by war. Thanks to renovated premises, upgraded shelters and newly supplied equipment, more than 21,600 students and teachers have been able to return to safe and conducive learning conditions.

Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, emphasised that restoring critical infrastructure, including schools, is key to ensuring stable communities and confidence in the future. “This is not only about rebuilding physical structures – it is about creating safe spaces, fostering a sense of dignity and hope,” Kuleba said. “Recovery of the country starts in communities — when parents can work, when children return to school safely, when life begins to flow again.”

According to the latest Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA4), 3,373 educational institutions across Ukraine have been partially or fully damaged since the onset of the full-scale invasion. Despite these challenges, Ukraine has made significant progress in adapting its educational infrastructure to wartime conditions. The percentage of schools equipped with bomb shelters has increased from 68% to 80%, while schools able to offer fully in-person education have more than doubled, rising from 25% to 57%.

The “EU4UASchools: Build Back Better” project responded to the urgent need to ensure continuous access to education for children amid war. The restored and re-equipped schools received new roofs, windows, heating systems, furniture, and safe shelters. In nine schools across Mykolaiv and Zhytomyr oblasts, upgraded shelters enabled 1,979 students and 300 teachers to return to face-to-face learning. In 112 schools, the learning environment was improved with new desks, chairs, bookcases, and blackboards.

Marianna Franco, the Head of EU Humanitarian Aid in Ukraine and Moldova, underlined the European Union’s steadfast commitment to supporting Ukrainian children and ensuring continuity of learning despite the challenges of war. “For the European Union, Ukraine is a top priority. And it will continue to be a top priority. Ensuring that the children caught up in the conflict have access to quality education is also a priority, and we work with partners to create the necessary conditions so that children can continue their education. Building back better also means building a better future – and this begins with education.”

Supported by the EU and UNDP, all schools were upgraded in line with the “Build Back Better” principle — meaning not only restoring them to their pre-war condition, but also improving their safety, accessibility, and resilience to future risks.

Jaco Cilliers, UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine, noted that the “EU4UASchools: Build Back Better” project is also an investment in human capital — the cornerstone of Ukraine’s long-term recovery. “The combination of online learning, war-related stress and displacement has already led to a loss equivalent to two years of schooling for many Ukrainian children, as reported,” Cilliers said. “Restoring schools and bringing students back to in-person education is a systemic solution to help prevent future economic losses for the country.”

Source: UNDP