Weekly Update #134
September 23, 2024

General Figures

Refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe 

6,218,200

Last updated September 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

571,300

Last updated September 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 globally

6,789,500

Last updated September 16 2024

Source: UNHCR collation of statistics made available by the authorities

Humanitarian Impact of Hostilities in Donetska, Kharkivska and Sumska Oblasts – Flash Update #9

HIGHLIGHTS

• Hostilities in Donetska, Kharkivska and Sumska oblasts killed and injured scores of civilians. In Kharkiv City alone, over 40 civilian casualties, including children, were reported on 15 September. In Sumy City, an attack damaged a care facility for older people on 19 September. Several repeated strikes killed and injured first responders on duty.

• Strikes on energy facilities temporarily disrupted access to electricity and water for thousands of civilians in urban centres in Donetska and Sumska oblasts.

• An estimated 16,000 people remain in Pokrovsk Town without a centralized water and gas supply.

• Humanitarians continued multi-sectoral support to evacuees and residents of the affected communities.

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

The humanitarian situation in the front-line communities continued to deteriorate as attacks impacted residential buildings, schools, hospitals, businesses and other civilian infrastructure providing critical services. Over the past week, Donetska, Kharkivska and Sumska oblasts carried the heaviest toll from the intense hostilities across Ukraine, with dozens of civilians, including children, killed or injured. Some parts of Donetska and Kharkivska oblasts were also affected by wildfires. Electricity and water supply were disrupted for dozens of thousands of families.

Since the last report on 12 September, scores of civilians have been killed and injured, and multiple homes, several hospitals and education facilities have been damaged in Donetska, Kharkivska and Sumska oblasts, according to authorities and partners on the ground. On 15 September alone, a bomb strike in Kharkiv City destroyed part of a 12-storey residential building and damaged some 20 more. The authorities reported that one civilian was killed and over 40 were injured, including several children from 1 to 13 years old. On 19 September, an attack in Sumy City damaged a senior care facility, resulting in civilian casualties, including among older people in need of specialized assistance. In another attack on 13 September in Sumska Oblast, a child was also reported among those injured. In Kharkviska Oblast, two health facilities were damaged.

First responders were among the casualties due to the attacks. When extinguishing fires, one rescuer was killed by repeated strikes in the village of Pokrovske, Donetska Oblast, and four were injured in Kharkiv City on 17 September, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.

In Donetska and Sumska oblasts, attacks damaged energy facilities, temporarily disrupting critical services. On 15 September, such an attack left the towns of Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka and Sloviansk in Donetska Oblast without power, which was later restored. In Sumska Oblast, several attacks on 17 and 18 September led to power outages for over 280,000 consumers — families, public facilities and business entities — and also disrupted the water supply in Sumy City and Konotopskyi, Okhtyrskyi and Sumskyi raions.

Moreover, due to the relentless attacks, Pokrovsk Town in Donetska Oblast has lost the centralized water and gas supply, and there is no electricity in some parts of the town. According to the local authorities, as of 18 September, some 16,000 remained in Pokrovsk Town, including 177 children, and 25,000 in Pokrovska Hromada, while the humanitarian situation continued to deteriorate.

Wildfires caused by shelling and weather conditions spread in some areas of Donetska and Kharkivska oblasts, including in Lyman Town in Donetska Oblast and in Kharkiv City, where some road sections were closed for transport due to a nearby forest fire on 16 September. Wildfires also increased the number of temporarily displaced people, creating additional challenges when providing adequate shelter and other critical assistance.

Meanwhile, people continued to leave front-line communities in Donetska and Kharkivska oblasts. Most evacuations were from Donetska to Dnipropetrovska oblasts, while some might move further to the west from there. Overall, the average number of people leaving Donetsk Oblast per day dropped to about 700, according to the authorities. Most evacuees used the Kurakhove — Pokrovsk — Dnipro route, and some used the Myrhohrad — Palvohrad route.

As observed by the Protection Cluster, evacuations from front-line areas in Kharkivska Oblast accounted for almost one-fourth of the evacuations, with most people fleeing from Kupianskyi Raion to Kharkiv City. Alarmingly, on 18 September, shelling occurred close to an NGO bus transporting evacuees on this route, though no one was hurt.

As reported by the Camp Management and Camp Coordination Cluster, two more transit sites were established in Sumska Oblast in anticipation of a potential influx of evacuees from areas bordering the Russian Federation due to increased security risks. So far, no significant movement of displaced people has been reported.

The Protection Cluster partners also indicated that the main protection needs of evacuees arriving at the transit sites included psychosocial support and legal assistance related to obtaining documentation and access to assistance.

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Humanitarian partners continued to provide essential humanitarian assistance to the affected people in and from Donetska, Kharkivska and Sumska oblasts, including on their way to collective sites, at the transit centres and in other receiving oblasts across Ukraine.

Cluster Response

The Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster partner established a presence in an operational transit centre in Kramatorsk, Donetska Oblast. Since the opening of the centre, over 140 people have been assisted, including more than 70 children and 9 people with disabilities. In Dnipropetrovska Oblast, over 1,400 people have been assisted in Pavlohrad Transit Center since 30 August, including over 210 children and more than 130 people with disabilities. Partners provided hot meals, psychological support, hygiene kits, registration for multi-purpose cash assistance and legal counselling.

In Kharkivska Oblast, since 1 September, 1,000 people have been assisted at the Kharkiv Transit Centre, including more than 600 people who participated in the organized evacuations and 395 self-evacuees. Some 210 of them have requested temporary accommodation in collective sites within the oblast. CCCM Cluster actively coordinated with partners to ensure effective referrals and the provision of aid and services.

In Sumska Oblast, new transit centres have been established. These centres are managed by the local authorities and supported by humanitarian actors. Services available at the centres include internal displacement registration, food assistance, case management, psychosocial support (PSS) and overnight stays.

The Health Cluster launched a roster for partners to meet the health and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) needs in Pavlohrad and Kramatorsk Transit Centres. Over the last week, partners attended to 160 people, including 14 children, at the Pavlohrad Transit Centre and over 40 people, including 17 children, at the Kramatorsk Transit Center. The cluster also established a referral mechanism between the Pavlohrad Transit Centre and the Pavlohrad Primary Health-Care Centre to access health services. Twenty-two assistive devices, 3,000 adult diapers and 300 hygiene kits have been distributed.

In Sumska Oblast, 18 partners provided health emergency response and 390 evacuees received psychological assistance. Also, rapid response teams provided urgent medical and psychological assistance to 20 people during recent attacks in Sumy City. In Kharkivska Oblast, 66 cluster partners enabled timely access, and one cluster partner provided 47 primary health-care consultations and 7 MHPSS consultations at the transit centre in the oblast.

The Protection Cluster provided legal assistance in 34 per cent of the 440 protection cases recorded at the Pavlohrad Transit Centre for displaced people from Donetska Oblast last week, while 40 per cent of the cases required psychosocial support. Partners provided different modalities of counselling in one-fourth of the recorded cases, including protection counselling and consultations with social workers.

Child Protection Area of Responsibility partners continued to provide critical child protection services to displaced children and families. In Donetska Oblast, eight partners provided case management, cash assistance for protection, emergency case management, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) and in-kind assistance in Kramatorskyi and Pokrovskyi raions. Additionally, four partners, in collaboration with oblast authorities, organized a daily presence at the Kramatorsk Transit Site, providing MHPSS for children and families.

Partners also continued to provide the same support at the transit site in Pavlohrad and during the evacuations of children and families in Dnipropetrovska Oblast. In Kharkivska Oblast, partners provided essential services, including MHPSS, case management, financial support and in-kind assistance to families with children affected by the evacuation, primarily from Kupianskyi Raion, at the Kharkiv Transit Centre and across the oblast.

Three Shelter and Non-Food Items Cluster partners provided emergency shelter materials for approximately 550 families in Donetska Oblast from 11 to 16 September. The cluster continued to coordinate the distribution of solid fuel in the oblast. Two other cluster partners also continued their distribution of in-kind solid fuel in Sviatohirska Hromada, where 150 families were reached, making the total reached in the oblast 335 families. The cluster continued to support the repairs of homes in Donetska Oblast affected by the shelling. Over a week ago, the cluster partners also provided construction materials for the light and medium repairs following the recent shelling in Kramatorsk, with more than 60 families registered in the Shelter Information Damage Assessment and Response (SIDAR) platform, mostly for light repairs.

The cluster continued to play a supporting role in taking referrals from the CCCM Cluster to respond to the needs for equipment in the transit sites. Three weeks following the response to the referrals, the supplies were distributed to the Transit Centre in Pavlohrad, while white appliances were provided for the transit centres in Kramatorsk. In Kharkivska Oblast, for the same period, five cluster partners supported 330 families with emergency shelter materials. At least 60 per cent were reached in Kupianska Hromada. In response to the attack on Kharkiv City on 15 September, a cluster partner distributed blankets to 180 people. The cluster also distributed emergency repair materials – 1,200 compressed wood sheets and 100 emergency shelter kits – to the affected hospitals.

Humanitarian Response in Central and Western Oblasts

Dnipro City: CCCM Cluster continued to work with local authorities and partners to effectively help in three active interim evacuation points in Dnipro City, which provides overnight accommodation to evacuees until they move to other oblasts.

Dnipropetrovska Oblast: According to the CCCM Cluster, 14 collective sites in Dnipropetrovska Oblast hosted 167 evacuees. Due to the high influx of evacuees from Donetska Oblast, three Health Cluster partners strengthened their presence and activities in the town of Pavlohrad.

Poltavska Oblast: At least 363 evacuees were hosted at 27 collective sites under CCCM Cluster partner management, including 179 evacuees across 9 collective sites in Poltavska Oblast.

Ternopilska Oblast: The oblast started receiving evacuees in September, with 106 arriving in total. On 13 September, the first train arrived, bringing 41 internally displaced people from the Donetska Oblast. Evacuees were settled in collective sites within five hromadas. Two CCCM partners provided consultations, MHPSS and site assessments through mobile teams. The second evacuation train arrived on 17 September with 65 displaced people, including 7 children. At least 45 of them were settled in a dormitory used as a collective site managed by a CCCM Cluster partner.

Zakarpatska Oblast: The oblast continued to receive evacuees, with the next train arriving on 19 September to Mukachevo with 45 internally displaced people. CCCM Cluster partners supported site monitoring, needs assessment and referrals.

Source: OCHA

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National Housing Institute launched in Ukraine to help expand affordable housing solutions for war-affected people

The Institute will support the Government of Ukraine’s and its partners’ efforts to expand the availability of affordable and sustainable housing solutions for people whose homes were damaged or destroyed, or who have become forcibly displaced, as a result of the full-scale Russian invasion.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) with support of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, have today launched a National Housing Institute which will contribute with research as well as policy and practical guidance to inform the further development of housing solutions for war-affected, including internally displaced, people in Ukraine.

With more than 2 million homes damaged or destroyed due to the war, according to the Ukraine – Third Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA3), and access to safe and affordable housing being a top priority for millions of people across Ukraine, the National Housing Institute will serve as a research, think tank and innovation hub, supporting the Government of Ukraine to create policies and sustainable programmes that will expand access to safe and affordable housing for all Ukrainians. Through nationwide surveys, the Institute will collect data on available housing stock, including social and affordable options, particularly in the most war-affected regions. This information will be accessible through an online platform, providing real-time updates for national, local, and international stakeholders to inform housing solutions.

In addition to gathering and analyzing housing data, the Institute will act as an advisory body to the Government of Ukraine, reviewing existing housing regulations and advising on reforms aligned with international and European standards and the country’s and communities’ evolving needs. This work will culminate in a new legal framework that will guide housing programmes during and after the war, supporting both immediate recovery efforts and long-term rebuilding and housing solutions for those who remain internally displaced.

“We know from our work with war-affected people across Ukraine and our periodic intention surveys among forcibly displaced Ukrainians that access to a safe and affordable home is one of the primary factors for recovery and a key enabler of sustainable return. UNHCR is therefore pleased to support the establishment of a National Housing Institute that will contribute to evidence-based laws, policies and programs that will practically help millions of Ukrainians, who have lost their house or apartment during Russia’s full-scale invasion, to have a home again,” says Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine.

“The establishment of the Housing Institute in Ukraine marks a significant milestone as it will be the first think tank dedicated to housing in the country. For the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), spearheading this initiative is an immense honor. We are equally thrilled and grateful for the remarkable support we have received from both the Ukrainian government and international stakeholders in launching this project. We are fully committed to ensuring the successful implementation of the Housing Institute. Our goal is to contribute to the development of a housing system that not only provides adequate housing but also promotes sustainability for all Ukrainians,” said Roberto Vila-Sexto, country director at NRC Ukraine.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, providing safe and dignified housing to millions of displaced people in Ukraine has been a top priority for UNHCR. To date, UNHCR has repaired over 30,000 homes and continues to work in partnership with regional and local authorities to rehabilitate social housing across the country. Also, UNHCR offers legal assistance to people whose homes were damaged or destroyed, enabling them to apply for state compensation. UNHCR and the Ukraine Shelter Cluster are operating SIDAR, or Shelter Information Damage Assessment and Response Database, to facilitate improved coordination of humanitarian assistance among beneficiaries, local authorities, and humanitarian organizations, linking to the Governmental Register of Damaged and Destroyed Property (RDDP) system.

Source: UNHCR

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Only Minutes to Pack - Thousands of evacuees flee to safety from the worst war-affected areas in Ukraine

Evacuation in Donetsk region: mandatory for families with children  

“You have to leave. Now.”  

With these words, special evacuation teams led by the emergency services arrive every day to small villages and towns along the frontline in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. With the Russian Armed Forces advancing towards the city of Pokrovsk and fighting intensifying, the authorities have issued a mandatory evacuation order, especially for families with children.  

Oleksandr and Valeria have been living in Myrnohrad — a town where the sound of shelling has become a daily reality. With their three young sons, Sasha, Artem, and Matvii, they had no other choice than to flee into the unknown, taking only what they could carry.  

“We had only forty minutes to pack our stuff. A bus arrived and we were told to get ready and to take only necessary things. I left without any documents, as they were in an apartment damaged by shelling. We were crying as we left. We did not even have time to say goodbye to my parents, who stayed behind. They decided to remain in Myrnohrad until the very end,” Oleksandr recalls. 

The family was first taken to one of the transit centres for evacuees that have been established by the authorities in the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region. Along with other humanitarian actors, UNHCR and its NGO partners support evacuees arriving to the facility by providing blankets, matrasses and pillows to create additional sleeping places. In the transit centre, displaced people can spend several days before moving to longer-term accommodation solution in Dnipropetrovsk region or further to central or western regions of Ukraine.  

UNHCR’s local NGO partner Right to Protection provided the family with legal advice about renewal of their documents. They also received psychosocial assistance, helping them to overcome the stress and traumatic experience of evacuation.  

Fleeing intensified shelling in Sumy region  

Maryna, a mother of two and pregnant with her third child, also took the hard decision to leave her home in Bilopillia, a town in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, located just seven kilometers from the Russian border. The town is under constant threat, enduring daily attacks by heavy artillery and glide bombs. UNHCR’s local NGO partner Proliska helped Maryna and her children evacuate to a transit centre in the city of Sumy, where she received psychosocial support and got enrolled for cash assistance. Later on, Maryna was transferred to a collective centre that accommodates internally displaced people with nowhere else to go.  

Maryna’s mother, brother and husband stayed behind to look after their farm animals. The separation from her family is the hardest for Maryna:  

“I did not want to evacuate at all, and right now I really miss my own house. But it is very scary to return due to constant shelling. Even Sumy city is not safe. I will try to go for a month with my children to the west of Ukraine, and then we will see if it is possible to return home.” 

New home in western Ukraine  

Leaving their communities, either on their own or with the support from authorities and volunteers, evacuees are offered to go by evacuation trains to Rivne and Lviv regions in western Ukraine.  

One of them, 39-year-old Olha, took this opportunity to flee their heavily shelled village in Donetsk region, together with her 12-year-old daughter. They arrived by train to Rivne at the beginning of August and found shelter in a temporary accommodation centre hosting many displaced people. Back home, she worked in a mine but is now struggling to find a job to support her family, as they try to settle in their new community.  

“I have worked all my life, and in these new circumstances, my first thought was that I needed to find a job and secure housing to regain a sense of stability. So, I immediately registered with the State Employment Service  to find a job. I will use cash assistance provided by UNHCR to buy the essentials, like a kettle and a bed. We live in a small room that we share with other displaced like us, and I want to provide my daughter with as much comfort as possible,“ said Olha.  

To help her address the most critical needs after the evacuation, UNHCR has provided Olha with cash assistance and legal aid.  

Source: UNHCR

Zelensky to present 'victory plan' to Biden, Harris and Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to present what he has called his "plan for victory" to President Joe Biden during a visit to the US this week.

After meeting Biden, Zelensky said he intended to present it to Congress and the two candidates in the US election - Vice-President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.

Trump has previously criticised US support for Ukraine and spoken highly of Russian President Vladimir Putin but said he will "probably" meet Zelensky.

The Ukrainian president's visit to the US - where he is also due to attend the UN General Assembly - coincides with efforts from the White House to prepare a new $375m military aid package for Ukraine.

"This fall will determine the future of this war," Zelensky said in a post on X alongside his nightly video address, which he delivered from his plane.

In a statement ahead of the visit, the Ukrainian leader previewed three elements to this victory plan.

He listed further weapons donations for the military, diplomatic efforts to force Russia into peace, and to hold Moscow accountable for the full-scale invasion of his country in 2022.

Ukraine has been pleading for months for the US, UK and other Western allies to ease restrictions on the use of long-range missiles so it can strike targets in Russia which Kyiv says are used to launch attacks.

Zelensky's statement also voiced gratitude for the support from Ukraine's allies thus far, singling out the US in particular as its "leading supporter".

The US has been the largest foreign donor to Ukraine, and to date has provided $56bn (£42m) for Ukraine's defence.

"I thank every nation and every leader who has felt that this war, Russia's war against Ukraine, is about much more than just the fate of our Ukrainian people," he said.

Following his Washington visit Zelensky is expected to head to New York and the United Nations where he is expected to attend a meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday and give a speech at the General Assembly on Wednesday.

Source: BBC

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Ukraine’s energy supply faces ‘sternest test yet’ as war grinds toward third winter

Ukraine’s electricity supply risks “severe disruptions” this winter, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned, urging Kyiv’s allies to help address the country’s energy security.

Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with missiles and drones since its full-scale invasion in February 2022, but its bombardments have intensified recently, leaving the country in a precarious position as colder weather approaches.

“Ukraine’s energy system has made it through the past two winters thanks to the resilience, courage and ingenuity of its people and strong solidarity from its international partners,” IEA executive director Fatih Birol said in a statement Thursday.

“But this winter will be, by far, its sternest test yet.”

Last month, Russia launched one of its largest aerial attacks on Ukraine since the start of the war, firing more than 200 missiles and drones mainly at energy infrastructure. The onslaught caused power outages in several Ukrainian cities, affecting millions of households. Ukraine has also attacked Russia’s energy infrastructure.

Even before that attack by Moscow, more than two-thirds of Ukraine’s pre-war power generation capacity was offline because it had been destroyed, damaged or occupied by Russian forces, the IEA said in a report.

That has made rolling blackouts, which can also affect water supply, a feature of daily life in Ukraine.

“The situation could become even more dire as the days get shorter and colder,” the agency cautioned. “A yawning gap between available electricity supply and peak demand risks emerging — bringing the threat of even more severe disruptions to hospitals, schools and other key institutions in the depths of winter.”

The IEA estimates that Ukraine’s electricity supply shortfall could reach as much as 6 gigawatts this winter, or almost a third of expected peak demand and equivalent to the peak annual demand of Denmark, for example.

In its report, the agency outlines 10 measures that Ukraine and its allies should implement to tackle risks to the country’s energy supply. These include bolstering the physical and cyber security of critical energy infrastructure, expediting delivery of equipment and spare parts for repairs, investing in energy efficiency and increasing the capacity to import electricity and natural gas from the European Union.

But, according to the report, effective air defense is “by far the most important” measure to safeguard the minimum level of energy services in Ukraine through the coming months.

Help from frozen Russian assets

To help Ukraine through the upcoming winter, the EU will disburse €160 million ($179 million) — including €60 million ($67 million) in humanitarian aid for shelters and heaters, and €100 million ($112 million) for repair works and renewable energy, with the larger amount flowing from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets.

“It is only right that Russia pays for the destruction it caused,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters Thursday. She also noted that the EU had contributed at least €2 billion ($2.2 billion) toward Ukraine’s energy system since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.

Work currently underway to repair Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and connect its electricity grid to the rest of Europe will cover more than 25% of the country’s energy needs this winter, according to the president of the EU’s executive arm.

In one example of such efforts, a thermal power plant in Lithuania is being dismantled and shipped to Ukraine where it will be reassembled. The EU has also dispatched solar panels to 21 hospitals in the country, eight of which will be “fully equipped” by the winter, she said.

Source: CNN

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Ukraine War: mental Health Crisis Grows in Shattered Country

Maria Ivashchenko’s husband Pavlo volunteered to fight the very same day Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Six months later, he was killed as Ukrainian forces went on a counter-offensive in the region of Kherson – making Maria one of the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who have lost loved ones in the war.

To cope with her grief, Maria has been attending therapy classes organised by a volunteer group called Alive. True Love Stories.

In the sessions, the widows and mothers of fallen fighters express their feelings, and seek solace and closure by painting. They then accompany their paintings with written stories of their love.

Maria says that painting helps externalise and process memories and moments that people can be afraid to re-live.

"There's total trust. No one will judge you, whether you laugh or cry,” she adds. “They understand you unconditionally. There's no need to explain anything.”

"There's a reason why it's called Alive. We came back to life. This project has pulled many of us out of the abyss."

The founder of Alive, Olena Sokalska, says more than 250 women have become involved in her project so far, and there is a waiting list of about 3,000.

Olena says that the paintings generally depict scenes that remind the women of the times they spent with their loved ones or of dreams they had. Some paint themselves or their husbands, Olena adds.

“Very often they paint angels, their families or children are depicted as angels," she says. "These paintings mark the end of the life they had and the beginning of a new life."

The mental agony of war

In addition to the trauma of bereavement, the dangers and insecurities of war have affected millions of Ukrainians.

Anna Stativka, a Ukrainian psychotherapist, explains that when wars start people lose safety and stability – basic human needs.

“When these two basic resources are gone very suddenly, this creates a lot of stress."

In situations where war is sustained, this can also turn chronic, with symptoms such as anxiety, depression, apathy, insomnia, lack of concentration and difficulties with memory.

"You can't stay in this hyper alert state for so long,” Ms Stativka says, adding that this has consequences on people’s mental and physical health.

“So this is generally what is happening to Ukrainian society," she says.

Scale of crisis

Research and statistics suggest that the share of Ukrainians who are experiencing mental health issues is huge, and it is growing.

According to the Ukrainian Health Ministry, the number of patients complaining of mental health problems this year has doubled since 2023, and market research data shows antidepressant sales have jumped by almost 50% since 2021.

A study published in the medical journal The Lancet suggests that 54% of Ukrainians (including refugees) have PTSD. Severe anxiety is prevalent among 21%, and high levels of stress among 18%.

Another study carried out in 2023 showed that 27% of Ukrainians felt depressed or very sad, up from 20% in 2021, the year before Russia's full-scale invasion.

Response to the crisis

But, Mr Habicht says, Ukraine has made strides in dealing with the acute crisis and battling the Soviet-era stigma associated with mental health.

He says mental health was prioritised during the first months of the war. “Ukraine started to talk about mental health, and I think that's something unique which we have not seen in many places," Mr Habicht says.

Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska spearheads a mental health campaign called How are you? and she also held the Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen focusing on mental health in times of war. It was co-hosted by the British broadcaster, author and mental health campaigner Stephen Fry.

In an interview with the BBC's Ukrainecast, Mr Fry described the mental health challenges facing Ukraine as an "urgent crisis", but said he was also impressed by what Ukraine is doing to address it.

"It's extraordinary to me that in Ukraine this is being talked about," Mr Fry said. "It is certainly a strength of Ukraine. The day Russians start to talk about the mental health of their soldiers and the crises amongst them will be the day that it's moved away from some of the totalitarian horror in which it seems to be mired at the moment."

Source: BBC

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'Please save me': The Indians duped into fighting for Russia

Last week, the Indian government announced that Russia had discharged dozens of the 91 Indians who were duped into fighting for Russian forces in the country's war with Ukraine. Several of them have since returned home, while the process to bring others back is under way. The BBC's Neyaz Farooquee spoke to some of the men about their struggles.

“I am in panic. I am not sure if I will return safely or in a box. Please save me.”

This is the message Urgen Tamang, a former Indian soldier, sent to the BBC from outside a southern Ukrainian city, a few days before he was discharged from the frontlines in Russia’s war against Ukraine, which entered its third year this February.

Mr Tamang is among the 91 Indians who were forced into fighting in the war. Most of them are from poor families and were lured by agents with the promise of money and jobs, sometimes as "helpers" in the Russian army.

Instead, they were sent to the war zone. Many of them said they were stationed in parts of Ukraine under Russian control, where they had to navigate landmines, drones, missiles and sniper attacks with little to no military training.

Nine Indians have died in the conflict so far and Indian authorities say they have arrested 19 people for human trafficking.

In July, Russia promised an early release of all Indians fighting in its army, following a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Moscow, during which he raised the issue with President Vladimir Putin. The two countries have traditionally shared a warm relationship.

Forty-five of them have been discharged since then. Some have safely returned home, while others like Mr Tamang are on their way.

Mohammad Sufyan from the southern state of Telangana returned to India on 12 September with five other men.

Safe in his home, he carries the trauma of surviving on the frontline. "There was little rest there and in the beginning, I couldn't speak to my family for 25 days," he said.

The most scarring moment came in February when his friend Hemil Mangukiya - an Indian man from Gujarat state - was killed right before his eyes.

“He was merely 15 metres from me, digging a trench near Krynky [in Kherson], when a missile landed,” recalled Mr Sufyan. “I put his dead body in the truck with my own hands.”

“After seeing the dead body of my friend, I didn’t have the strength for anything," he added.

After the death, Mr Sufyan and other Indians stuck there released a video pleading for help, which reached Indian MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who raised the matter with the foreign ministry. Families of the men had also appealed to the Indian government for help in bringing them back.

Source: BBC

Europe will loan war-torn Ukraine up to $39 billion as part of G7 pledge

he European Union will lend Ukraine up to €35 billion ($39 billion), providing the lion’s share of a $50 billion loan agreed by G7 nations earlier this year.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the loan Friday in a post on X as part of her visit to Kyiv. “Relentless Russian attacks means Ukraine needs continued EU support,” she wrote, adding that the loan was part of “the G7 pledge.”

“We are now confident that we can deliver this loan to Ukraine very quickly,” she later said at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, telling him: “You will decide how best to use the funds… And this will free more of your national resources to strengthen then, for example, your military capabilities and to defend yourself against the Russian aggression.”

The funds are expected to be delivered to Ukraine by the end of the year.

In June, the Group of Seven, which brings together some of the world’s largest economies, agreed to collectively loan about $50 billion to Ukraine, using the future windfall profits from Russian assets held in the EU and elsewhere as collateral.

Western nations froze Russia’s assets in bank accounts located in Europe, the United States and other countries as part of a massive wave of sanctions enacted after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Around two-thirds of Russia’s frozen assets, or some €210 billion ($234 billion), sits in the EU, while just $3 billion is located in US banks.

The EU loan still requires approval by the European Parliament and a qualified majority of the bloc’s member states.

“In view of the urgency of the proposal, the Commission will be working … to ensure a swift adoption,” the European Commission said in a press release.

The announcement sends “a clear signal that the burden of rebuilding Ukraine will be shouldered by those responsible for its destruction,” it added.

The funding mechanism stops short of seizing the frozen Russian assets outright. The EU has been worried that such a move would discourage other countries from keeping their assets in the bloc.

Von der Leyen’s visit to Kyiv comes just as the winter heating season starts in Ukraine. Russia’s bombardments targeted at the country’s energy infrastructure have intensified in recent months, leaving Ukrainians vulnerable to power outages.

On Thursday, the International Energy Agency said this coming winter will be the “sternest test yet” for Ukraine’s energy system.

Source: CNN