Weekly Update #116
May 20, 2024

General Figures

Refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe 

5,942,300

Last updated May 16 2024

Covers those granted refugee status, temporary asylum status, temporary protection, or statuses through similar national protection schemes, as well as those recorded in the country under other forms of stay 

Refugees from Ukraine recorded beyond Europe

541,200

Last updated March 27 2024

Covers those granted refugee status, temporary asylum status, temporary protection, or statuses through similar national protection schemes, as well as those recorded in the country under other forms of stay 

Refugees from Ukraine recorded globally

6,483,500

Last updated May 16 2024

Source: UNHCR collation of statistics made available by the authorities

Humanitarian Impact of Intensified Hostilities in Kharkivska Oblast (as of 19 May 2024)

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

The number of displaced civilians continued to increase due to ongoing hostilities in the front-line and border parts of Kharkivska Oblast, while the civilian toll of daily attacks in Kharkiv City and other towns and villages grew over the last three days.

The past three days have seen daily attacks in Kharkiv City, with scores of civilian casualties – including children and a pregnant woman, according to local authorities on 19 May. The authorities also reported multiple houses and civilian infrastructure damaged due to attacks, as well as an ambulance hit and a paramedic injured when two strikes reportedly impacted the same location in close succession. Civilians were also reportedly injured and killed in other parts of the oblast, according to local authorities.

Between 10 and 17 May, more than 16,100 people – 40 per cent of them 60 years old and older – were forced to leave their homes in the Derhachivska, Lypetska, Starosaltivska, Tsyrkunivska, Vovchanska, and Zolochivska hromadas, with some 16,600 people remaining, according to the IOM assessment.

Oblast authorities estimate that between 10 and 18 May, more than 10,300 people were evacuated from these hromadas through social transport coordinated by humanitarian organisations, volunteers and local authorities, with many more understood to have left by themselves.

Food, hygiene items and livelihood assistance are the priority needs among displaced people, according to the IOM assessment. Humanitarians at the transit centre also indicate a high need for assistive mobility devices and other supplies for older people.

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Humanitarian organizations continued to support the evacuation process for people fleeing active hostilities in the most affected hromadas of Kharkivska Oblast.

Between 10 and 18 May, more than 3,400 people evacuated through social transport were registered and received immediate aid at the transit centre. During the same period, 4,700 people who had left the affected areas by their own means were also provided with immediate support on-site at the centre.

When arriving at the transit centre, people who have been evacuated received food, water, clothes, mattresses, bedding, household items, hygiene and other essential items to support them through the first days to support them through the first days. Over 20,000 litres of drinking water – distributed by People in Need and Myrne Nebo – and more than 7,000 food packages, 7,200 hot meals and 3,200 sandwiches were provided by Myrne Nebo (through WFP), the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, World Central Kitchen and the Heart of Kharkiv – Roxana & the Team.

Some 3,200 people were also registered for multi-purpose cash assistance by the Right to Protection NGO and Myrne Nebo with support from UNHCR and WFP, respectively, ACTED and the Danish Refugee Council.

Source: UNOCHA

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UNHCR scales up response

Following a rise in hostilities in Kharkiv region, northeastern Ukraine that resulted in the evacuation of at least 8,000 individuals between 10 – 14 May, humanitarian partners are rapidly mobilizing to provide emergency assistance to both war-affected populations and those fleeing frontline areas:

• Between 10 – 14 May, over 680 people evacuated from frontline areas were enrolled for emergency cash assistance at a transit centre in Kharkiv city through partner Right to Protection (R2P), to help cover their immediate needs.

• UNHCR partner Proliska is providing transport assistance to persons fleeing frontline areas through ongoing regular evacuation trips. . Additionally, R2P is providing legal assistance, including support with registering as an IDP and applying for financial compensation for destroyed property.

• Evacuees are also receiving psychosocial support through the State Emergency Service, and UNHCR partners Proliska and R2P. Additionally, R2P is providing legal assistance, including support with registering as an IDP and applying for financial compensation for destroyed property.

• The UNHCR-led cluster response meanwhile is ongoing. The CCCM Cluster recently developed a preparedness plan to address potential new displacement from frontline and border regions. The Protection Cluster is working with the Ministry of Social Policy and other authorities to support evacuees from care facilities, and is coordinating provision of legal assistance, psychosocial support and other protection services. The Emergency Shelter and NFI Cluster is coordinating the delivery of emergency shelter assistance as well as essential items. UNHCR is transferring additional core relief items to warehouses in the east, to ensure sufficient stocks are available.

Source: UNHCR

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Health Cluster partners provide screening and medical services at the Kharkiv Transit Centre

In light of the significant deterioration in the security situation in Kharkiv oblast in recent weeks, marked by successive waves of attacks resulting in civilian casualties, injuries, and widespread damage to critical infrastructure, the Government of Ukraine has initiated the relocation of civilians from front-line areas and those facing imminent threats.

As of 13 May, local authorities reported the relocation of approximately 6000 people, a collaborative effort spearheaded by humanitarian organizations, volunteers, and local authorities.

The Kharkiv Transit Centre, a pivotal node in the Health Cluster’s coordinated emergency response since August 2023, has played a crucial role in facilitating the provision of emergency assistance amid the escalating violence. According to the Relief Coordination Centre in Kharkiv, over 2000 people have registered for assistance through this hub since 10 May.

 In tandem with the national authorities’ efforts, Health Cluster partners, such as Premiere Urgence Internationale (PUI), Stellar Ukraine, IRC, FHI 360, and NGO Proliska, continue to deliver daily health services at the transit site in line with the established site visit calendar.

PUI’s integrated mobile teams, comprising medical professionals and mental health specialists, persist in delivering primary health-care services, psychological support, and medication distribution at the Transit Centre. IRC and Stellar Ukraine’s mobile units have been promptly addressing emergency medical needs, including injury treatments and emergency consultations.

Since 10 May, health partners have rendered primary health-care services to 331 people, including 10 children. Moreover, in response to the urgent mental health needs, PUI, Stellar Ukraine, IRC, FHI 360, and NGO Proliska have intensified efforts to provide mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS)  consultations. Between 10 and 13 May, partners 184 MHPSS consultations, with a keen focus on addressing the distinct needs of vulnerable groups.

As the emergency response in Kharkiv oblast unfolds, the Health Cluster, WHO and partners maintain close coordination with the Department of Health to address the urgent health needs of affected communities. The Health Cluster coordination team collaborates closely with the Protection and CCCM clusters to facilitate the transportation of people with medical needs from care facilities to satellite health facilities for access to medical services.

Source: WHO

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Training of trainers on deployment and operation of decontamination tents

In light of the escalating risk associated with chemical, biological, radiological and  (CBRN) hazards, WHO convened a training session on 1–2 May 2024 to fortify the preparedness and response capacities of medical personnel in addressing CBRN . WHO proactively procured 20 decontamination tents for distribution to healthcare facilities tasked with managing CBRN incidents.

The principal focus of the training was the development and implementation of a comprehensive programme to equip 15 participants from the training departments of regional centres for emergency medical care and disaster medicine across five regions: Zaporizhzhya, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Chernihiv. These participants, selected from a pool of medical professionals proficient in emergency and disaster medicine,were designated as trainers responsible for instructing hospital personnel on managing CBRN incidents and operating the decontamination tents provided by WHO.

The curriculum covered a range of topics, including an overview of tent equipment and operating principles, practical demonstrations of decontamination tent deployment, hands-on practice in decontamination tent deployment, a refresher seminar on chemical readiness and response, and simulation scenarios designed to replicate realistic incidents and evaluate the participants’ competencies.

Source: WHO

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Primary health care in Ukraine: improving health services amid the war and beyond

Despite the ongoing conflict, Ukraine is pursuing its reform of primary health care (PHC). On 15–16 May 2024, WHO, together with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the National Health Service of Ukraine, hosted the second PHC conference in Ukraine.

The event focused on the ongoing reform, which includes improvements related to PHC financing for better access and quality of care, workforce development, digitalization and transparency, and the future direction of PHC in Ukraine. It convened more than 500 PHC professionals along with health authorities and international partners.

A holistic approach

Strategic directions for health system development and the importance of PHC in economic and social development were underscored at the conference, along with the need for investment. PHC is the most cost-effective approach to adapt to evolving needs caused by the war..

The conference also provided an opportunity to discuss challenges and solutions for health systems on the frontline, access to care and service delivery in disrupted and rural areas, and the humanitarian response in war-affected zones.

Participants discussed the need to establish a quality-of-care framework and explored how digitalization can enhance PHC performance, including through electronic health, reliable data, and enhanced accountability and trust.

In a session on workforce development, participants discussed challenges faced by family doctors and nurses, how to boost health workforce numbers and capacity and to expand the role of nurses, and ways to promote women’s leadership in health care.

Family doctors and nurses from across Ukraine shared testimonies of working as PHC professionals during the war, and patients gave insights into their interactions with PHC services in Ukraine.

Strengthening financing

The discussion of PHC financing underscored the critical need for securing sufficient and equitable funding through budget allocation. Many stressed that any expansions of the PHC service package must be adequately resourced, and that the design of financial incentives needs to enhance access to comprehensive care. This is especially important in areas affected by conflict or with limited access to health care, and for managing patients with priority health conditions.

The benefits of an evidence-based, transparent approach to setting and regularly reviewing PHC tariffs were also in focus. Participants emphasized the significance of covering the entire cost of delivering the PHC package under the Programme of Medical Guarantees. Discussion also centred on the essential role of engaging with PHC providers in developing financing mechanisms and ensuring adequate funding.

Finally, there was a strong emphasis on the importance of developing the PHC financing roadmap to set a clear vision of priorities for the next 5 years.

The PHC conference was an opportunity for international partners, including the European Union Delegation to Ukraine, the World Bank, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to discuss the continuity of essential health services and health digitalization.

The conference was organized with financial support from the Government of Canada and the Universal Health Coverage Partnership. It marked the official launch of 2 new reports aimed at advancing the ongoing health financing reform in Ukraine, with a specific focus on improving the quality and accessibility of PHC. The first report presents a thorough analysis of costs, offering key insights for revising payments to PHC providers. The second, complementary report presents the results of a survey conducted to explore the financial impact of the war on PHC services across the country.

Source: WHO

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UN expert on summary executions to visit Ukraine 

The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Dr Morris Tidball-Binz, will make an official visit to Ukraine from 20 to 31 May 2024, at the invitation of the Government.

Tidball-Binz will examine how unlawful deaths are investigated, primarily those resulting from the current armed conflict, including extrajudicial executions, deaths in custody and gender-based killings. He will also look at how the rights of victims are addressed.

During his visit, the Special Rapporteur will meet with State authorities, national and international investigative bodies, civil society organisations, as well as victims and their families.

The Special Rapporteur will hold a press conference on Friday 31 May 2024, at 15:00 local time at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 5 Alla Tarasova Street, Kyiv, Paris Hall. Access will be strictly limited to journalists.

The expert will present the report on his visit to the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council in June 2025.

Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. 

Dr. Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, is a medical doctor specialised in forensic science, human rights and humanitarian action. 

Source: UN HRC

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Guidance on Provision of Protection Assistance to Former Combatants 

UNHCR released a Guidance material on “Provision of Protection Assistance to Former Combatants.

The purpose of this Guidance is to provide recommendations to Protection Cluster partners regarding protection service provision to former (or ex) combatants, and was developed to respond to requests received from Protection Cluster partners.

 This Guidance briefly describes humanitarian principles (including how these result in the general rule that the provision of humanitarian assistance should be limited to civilian populations), aligns International Humanitarian Law terminology on combatants with domestic law, identifies the point at which an individual is no longer considered a combatant, describes the documents that confirm that a person is discharged from military service and is therefore a civilian that may be eligible for protection assistance, and provides a list of services for veterans and their families that should be used by humanitarian protection partners for referrals. This Guidance will be updated on a regular basis in order to reflect changes in legislation and lessons learned from its implementation.

The Guidance may be accessed at the link below.

Source: Protection Cluster, UNHCR

Ukrainian officials reported that Ukrainian forces are stabilizing the situation along the northern border in Kharkiv Oblast and that the tempo of Russian offensive operations in the area continues to decrease. Ukrainian Khortytsia Group of Forces Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nazar Voloshyn stated on May 16 that Ukrainian forces are partially stabilizing the situation in the Kharkiv direction, and the Ukrainian General Staff noted that Ukrainian forces have so far denied Russia’s tactical objectives to penetrate Ukrainian defenses within Vovchansk (northeast of Kharkiv City) and establish a foothold in the area. The Ukrainian General Staff noted that Ukrainian forces have forced Russian forces to significantly decrease the tempo of their offensive operations in northern Kharkiv Oblast,  Zelensky stressed in an interview with ABC News on May 16 that the situation in the Kharkiv direction is very serious and that Ukrainian forces cannot afford to lose Kharkiv City.  Zelensky argued that Russia will not be able to seize Kharkiv City if Ukrainian forces receive two Patriot air defense systems to deploy to the area.  Russian fixed-wing aircraft have increasingly targeted Kharkiv City and its environs with glide bombs and various missile strikes in recent weeks to degrade Ukrainian defenses and prompt residents to flee the city.

Russian forces are reportedly able to conduct fixed-wing drone reconnaissance deep in the Ukrainian rear due to Ukraine's lack of air defense interceptors. The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) reported on May 14 that Ukraine has had to husband its diminishing supply of surface-to-air missiles (SAM), which has allowed Russian reconnaissance drones to fly more freely into Ukrainian rear areas, including over Kharkiv City, and optimize Russian forces’ reconnaissance fire complex (RFC).[24] RUSI stated that Ukraine's decreased air defense interceptor supplies have forced Ukraine to increasingly make difficult decisions between deploying air defense coverage to critical infrastructure in rear areas or to frontline areas, as ISW has repeatedly assessed.[25] RUSI noted that well-provisioned Ukrainian forces were previously able to curtail Russian reconnaissance capabilities for most of the full-scale invasion.

Ukrainian forces reportedly conducted successful drone strikes against a Russian defense industrial plant in Tula City on the night of May 15 to 16. Ukrainian intelligence sources told several Ukrainian outlets that Ukraine's Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) conducted successful drone strikes against the "Bazalt" defense industrial plant, which produces weapons and ammunition for the Russian military.

Russian missile strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure since March 2024 have likely caused long-term damage to Ukrainian energy infrastructure and repeated energy blackouts. Ukraine's largest private energy operator DTEK reported energy blackouts in Kyiv City and Oblast on May 14 and stated that blackouts occur without warning.[32] Ukrainian energy company Yasno stated that Russian strikes cause Ukrainian energy operators to conduct emergency blackouts in order to balance the power system.

US officials reiterated the White House's unwillingness to support Ukraine's use of US-provided weapons in strikes against military targets in Russia. US Defense Department Spokesperson Sabrina Singh stated on May 16 that the Biden Administration has not changed its position against Ukrainian forces using US weapons to strike targets within Russia and that the administration believes that the equipment should be used to liberate occupied Ukrainian territory. ISW continues to assess that US and other Western limitations on Ukraine's ability to strike military targets in Russia have created a sanctuary in Russia's border areas from which Russian aircraft can conduct glide bomb and missile strikes against Ukrainian positions and settlements and where Russian forces and equipment can freely assemble before entering combat.  This US policy is severely compromising Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russian offensive operations in northern Kharkiv Oblast.

Russian forces are likely preparing for the second phase of their offensive operation in northern Kharkiv Oblast, which Russian forces likely intend to launch following their anticipated seizure of Vovchansk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on May 18 that Russian forces advanced between five and 10 kilometers in northern Kharkiv Oblast before Ukrainian forces stopped Russian advances and that Russian forces are conducting the first of several waves of offensive operations in the area.

Available evidence indicates that Russian forces have so far only committed a limited amount of the prepared forces that Russia maintains in Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk oblasts for offensive operations in the area.[16] Ukrainian sources previously stated that Russian forces have committed 2,000 personnel to the frontline along the border and have 1,500 to 2,000 personnel in immediate reserve as of May 11.

Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Deputy Chief Major General Vadym Skibitskyi recently reported that Russian forces have roughly 35,000 personnel deployed to the border area in Kursk, Bryansk, and Belgorod oblasts and that Russian forces intend to establish a grouping in the area that is between 50,000 to 75,000 personnel in size.  Ukrainian sources also recently reported that an additional 3,750 Russian personnel may arrive in the northern Kharkiv Oblast area in the near future. 

Sources: ISW (May 16)

ISW (May 17)

ISW (May 18)

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Key weeks ahead for Russia’s war in Ukraine

Ukraine knew Russia was planning a summer offensive, but not where it would start. That became clear on 10 May, as Russian forces penetrated the border area near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city.

They have since grabbed a number of villages on Ukraine's northeastern frontier, and are trying to push forward as Ukraine’s outgunned forces try to shore up a weakened front line.

A buffer zone or a deeper push?

By entering Vovchansk, only 5km (3 miles) inside Ukraine, and seizing large areas of Ukrainian territory in the Kharkiv region, Russian forces may be trying to create a buffer zone to fend off Ukraine’s own cross-border attacks.

Having seen the relatively poor state of Ukraine’s defences, they may also have far more ambitious plans.

Russia’s Vladimir Putin has for some time talked of setting up some kind of “sanitary zone” that would protect the southern Belgorod region from drone or missile attack. Belgorod has also proved vulnerable to cross-border incursions by two Ukraine-based Russian paramilitaries.

Russia could be planning a further cross-border push towards the northern city of Sumy, to the north-west. Ukraine’s military spy chief, Kyrylo Budanov, believes a “small group of forces” is waiting there, ready to act.

Sergei Shoigu, the new head of Russia’s security council, has said only that the military is advancing in all directions.  That could involve pushing deeper into Ukraine, either to force Kyiv to divert forces from the fiercest front line in the eastern Donbas or seize increasing amounts of territory.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War think tank believes the main aim is to create a buffer zone, 

But Russian forces are also pushing towards the village of Lyptsi, some 20km from the northern outskirts of Kharkiv and, in his words, “we can practically see the suburbs of Kharkiv through binoculars”. Suddenly capturing Ukraine’s second biggest city could be in Russian sights.

Is Kharkiv at risk?

With a pre-war population of 1.4 million, Kharkiv comes behind only Kyiv and Dnipro in its economic importance to Ukraine. It is too close to the border to have sufficient air defence and has repeatedly come under lethal Russian bombardment from ballistic and remodelled anti-aircraft missiles and glide bombs.  They would not only create a buffer zone of 10-15km in depth, he says, but also give Russia the option of attacking Kharkiv later.

If Russia could capture it, it would prove a “turning point” in the war and hit Ukraine’s industrial potential hard.

That seems highly unlikely. Ukrainian and Western commentators are convinced Russia does not have the resources to do so. If it took 80,000 Russian troops to capture the devastated eastern city of Avdiivka last February, a much bigger city like Kharkiv would require numbers that Russia does not have.

Russia's focus on the east

For many months the war has dragged on with Russian forces securing minor gains at great human cost, especially in the eastern region of Donetsk.

Jack Watling of the Royal United Services Institute believes the main aim of the summer offensive is “the expansion of the Russian push in Donbas”, with the aim of cutting supply lines and then giving their forces a route to both north and south.

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, its declared goal was to seize the entire Donbas region, made up of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Three months on from the capture of Avdiivka, the Russian military has set its sights on other targets northwest of the city, including the strategically important hilltop town of Chasiv Yar.

Losing Chasiv Yar would make Ukrainian cities in Donbas even more vulnerable to Russian attack.

By forcing Ukraine to commit troops, air defences and artillery to the defence of its second city, pressure would also be put on the frontline further south, near the Dnipro river and then threatening the big south-eastern city of Zaporizhizia.

Russian forces have already claimed the capture of one southern village that Ukraine recaptured last summer. Even if Ukraine is still in control of that village of Robotyne, it is clear that Russia’s offensive in the north places considerable pressure on Ukraine’s outnumbered forces elsewhere.

Does Russia have enough resources to gain ground?

In Kyiv, they believe Russia’s force in Ukraine now numbers more than half a million. That has left Ukraine’s military outmanned as well as outgunned, with Vladimir Putin now devoting an estimated 8.7% of Russia’s entire economic output (GDP) to defence and security.

But the reinforcements waiting over the northern border number only a reported 20,000, and for all the reports of Kremlin plans to mobilise 300,000 more Russians, there is no evidence of anything like that.

Although Ukraine's total military force is about 800,000, Russia has a big numerical advantage in the major combat zones. A senior Ukrainian general said in places the ratio was as high as 10 to one. A similar advantage is reported in terms of shells.

Ukraine recently signed into law an act lowering the age of mobilisation by two years to 25, and that could increase the size of its military by a reported 100,000.

But that change will take time. As will the arrival of US arms supplies as part of a $61bn (£48bn) aid package voted through by the US Congress in April.

Nato’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen Christopher Cavoli, has said he is confident Ukraine’s military can hold the line: "The Russians don't have the numbers necessary to do a strategic breakthrough... more to the point, they don't have the skill and the ability to do it.”

And the man appointed Ukraine’s commander-in-chief in February, Oleksandr Syrskyi, is considered the architect of Ukraine’s fightback in September 2022, when the army pushed Russian units out of more than 500 places in Donbas and the Kharkiv regions. One of the villages they liberated was Vovchansk.

The difference now is that Russia’s commanders will have learned from their mistakes.

"The city of Kharkiv and the entire Kharkiv region is now the point of our efforts to make the lives of Kharkiv residents safer,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said this week.

Source: BBC

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Vladimir Putin is preparing for a forever war

Not only would his fifth term in the Kremlin be his first unconstitutional one, rumours abounded that the President would use the traditional cabinet but reshuffle to clear out some of his ageing cronies, paving the way for a fresh generation to do his bidding. Who he chose to promote or sideline would be a good indicator of where Putin would choose to take Russia over the coming years.

Now the results of that reshuffle are in. In a move that few thought Putin would actually dare to follow through with, he has turfed out Sergei Shoigu as minister of defence after twelve years of service. His replacement is Andrei Belousov, until Sunday a little-known technocrat who has flourished behind the scenes in Moscow, advising Putin on economic affairs for close to twenty years. Shoigu, in turn, displaces the hawkish Nikolai Patrushev as head of the security council, overseeing Russia’s intelligence services. Quite where Patrushev will go now is, at the time of writing, unknown.

This little three-way rejig tells us everything we need to know about Putin’s vision for Russia’s future: the war of attrition in Ukraine is here to stay until victory for Moscow is certain. Over two years into a war that Shoigu and Patrushev promised Putin would last at most a few weeks, the Russian president has clearly got bored of the sluggish progress his troops are making.

Defence spending has ballooned to 6 per cent of GDP thanks, in part, to ramped up military production and high personnel costs. High casualties increase the risk of civilian unrest the longer the war drags on.

In this context, the appointment of the civilian Belousov to head up the defence ministry makes sense. The new minister of defence was reportedly involved in a report drawn up by the security council last year on how to bring Russia’s economy onto a war-time footing. While he has no military experience himself, he knows plenty about how to run a tight economic ship.

Commenting on the appointment, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov admitted as much: “Today, the winner on the battlefield is the one who is more open to innovation, more open to implementation as quickly as possible”. He noted that the economic situation was “approaching a similar situation to the 80s”, when defence spending rose above 7 per cent of GDP. While not yet a crisis, it required delicate treatment. “It is very important to integrate the economy of the security bloc into the country’s economy,” Peskov said. In other words, Shoigu had let defence spending run away; it will be Belousov’s job to reign in the spending, streamline the armed forces’ operations and get creative to outsmart the Western technology that continues to trickle in from Ukraine’s allies.

Despite being known more for his technocratic credentials, Belousov may also be more of an ideological fit to head up Russia’s war effort than the sometimes hesitant Shoigu.

Belousov was said to have been amongst a minority of Putin’s advisors who supported the annexation of Crimea in 2014. He buys into the President’s narrative of Russia against the world.

Shoigu and Patrushev’s demotions, instead of outright sackings, are unlikely to be the result of lingering loyalty towards two long-serving allies, not least thanks to Shoigu’s failure to halt the Evgeniy Prigozhin’s Wagner mutiny last June. More probably, they too are an act of self-preservation. The two have been gently put out to pasture in a way that avoids humiliating them too much; with honour more or less intact, their allies will be less likely to cause further trouble for Putin.

After all, Putin intends to stay in the Kremlin for the rest of his life. A Russian victory in Ukraine is instrumental to that. He will be hoping that Belousov can turn the armed forces into the efficient killing machine Shoigu and Patrushev assured him was in place in the early months of 2022. If Belousov can successfully rejuvenate Russia’s fighting forces, that will not only spell trouble for Ukraine, but for its allies too.

Source: Yahoo News

Every year at the beginning of summer, Caritas of Ukraine organizes a street football tournament for children and teenagers from different parts of Ukraine - the Caritas Cup.

The goal of the project is to promote social integration and education of vulnerable children who find themselves in difficult life circumstances through sports, encouraging them to take care of their health.

In 2024, the Caritas Cup will be held on June 2-4 at the "Tam de hory" sports complex in Vyzhnytsia, Chernivtsi region.

8 children's teams from regional Caritas were able to prepare for it: Caritas Volyn, Caritas Ternopil, Caritas Poltava, Caritas Zaporizhia, Caritas Brody, Caritas Lviv, Caritas Kamianske and Caritas Chernivtsi.

This tournament is a volunteer initiative of Caritas employees and has been held every summer since 2016. The competition was not held only in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and in 2022 - due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.