Weekly Update #151
January 20, 2025

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

560,200

Last updated January 16 2025

Refugees from Ukraine recorded globally

6,813,900

Last updated January 16 2025

Estimated number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Ukraine (as of Aug 2024)

3,669,000

Source: UNHCR collation of statistics made available by the authorities

Progress Towards Durable Solutions in Ukraine: Thematic Brief (January 2025)

According to IOM's latest General Population Survey (GPS) data from October 2024, a majority of IDPs (59%) have been displaced for over two years. This protracted displacement is becoming more prevalent, with two thirds of IDPs intending to remain in their current location in the medium term (beyond the three months following data collection). In response, the Government of Ukraine and international partners have prioritised early recovery and durable solutions to internal displacement alongside ongoing humanitarian efforts.

Source: IOM

THE HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

“Staying the course with Ukraine”: UN and partners appeal for $3.32 billion in 2025.

As the full-scale war in Ukraine approaches its fourth year, the United Nations and partners launched twin humanitarian and refugee response plans for 2025, appealing for US$3.32 billion to support 8.2 million people affected by the crisis within Ukraine and across borders.

The plans – launched in Kyiv with the Government of Ukraine – outline strategies to address the needs of people whose lives have been upended by the war. They also emphasize the importance of international solidarity to sustain critical humanitarian efforts in 2025.

“I am in awe of the Ukrainian people’s determination to carry on in the face of immense hardship,” said UN Humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher, who just concluded visits to several affected communities across Ukraine. “Those communities are the frontline of the humanitarian response, and they need our support and solidarity as much as ever. Now, we need the international community to get seriously behind these plans so we can show the same sticking power as the people of Ukraine.”

Strategies for 2025
Humanitarian organizations inside Ukraine aim to assist 6 million people in 2025 with food, healthcare, shelter, cash assistance, education in emergencies, protection and other vital services. With sufficient funding and access, aid workers can continue delivering help across the country, including in communities close to the front line. The humanitarian community stands ready to reach people in need wherever they are.

Special focus will be given to the most vulnerable groups, including children, older people and people with disabilities, many of whom face isolation and barriers to accessing aid. The Ukraine Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan requires $2.62 billion to address these needs.

Humanitarian actors will support 11 host countries in the region as they extend protection and include more than 2 million refugees in their national systems in 2025 and 2026. This allows refugees to access housing, decent work, health and specialized legal and protection services. Partners will continue helping refugees access social protection and, for the most vulnerable, provide cash for their basic needs, while targeting help for children at risk and survivors of gender-based violence. The appeal is for $690.3 million in 2025, and $1.2 billion for 2025-2026.

Achievements in 2024
Despite challenges in 2024, including underfunding and access constraints, humanitarian partners inside Ukraine provided essential assistance to millions of people:

Nearly 3 million people received food aid.
Some 5.8 million people, primarily in front-line regions, received water, sanitation and hygiene support.
Two million people accessed health and medical services.
Millions more were supported with shelter, education, protection services and cash assistance to meet urgent needs.

In the refugee-hosting countries, partners continued to deliver with only one-third of financial requirements covered in 2024. They worked for refugees to find safety, access rights and ensure they were included in national systems.

1 million people received legal counseling, mental health support, services to counter gender-based violence and other protection activities.
330,000 people accessed housing, cash and other in-kind assistance to cover basic needs.
300,000 children at risk received specialized assistance to find safety.

As the world enters 2025, the UN and its partners urge Governments, donors and individuals to contribute to the response plans. The people of Ukraine, both at home and abroad, need the world to stay the course with them to rebuild their lives and preserve hope for a better future.

Source: UNHCR

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Summary of the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan and the Regional Refugee Response Plan (January 2025)

SITUATION OVERVIEW

After more than a decade of hostilities and nearly three years of full-scale war by the Russian Federation, the people of Ukraine continue to endure immense suffering. Relentless attacks on cities, towns, and villages in eastern, southern, and northeastern regions fuel the severe humanitarian crisis. The length of the frontline expanded since August 2023, with intensified violence in Kharkivska, Sumska, and Chernihivska oblasts. Mass evacuations have displaced thousands, such as in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, where the population plummeted from 50,000 to 11,500.

Since February 2022, 6.8 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded, 92 per cent in Europe. Within Ukraine, 3.6 million people remain internally displaced, with 79,000 of the most vulnerable in collective shelters. About 83 per cent of internally displaced people (IDPs) have been displaced for over a year, with limited prospects for return.

An estimated 12.7 million people who stayed in their homes face severe hardships due to infrastructure destruction and lack of services, especially in front-line regions and areas near the Russian Federation. In Russian-occupied territories, anecdotal evidence suggests devastating humanitarian conditions for one million people.

The war is a protection crisis. By October 2024, verified civilian casualties reached nearly 39,000, including over 12,000 deaths. More than 2,400 children were killed or injured. More than half of the casualties occurred over 10 kilometers from the front line, with true numbers likely underreported due to access challenges. Landmines and explosive ordnance pose ongoing risks, preventing displaced families from returning. Vulnerable groups, such as older people and individuals with disabilities, face isolation and limited access to services. War-related sexual violence is increasing, affecting women, men, and children.

Mental health challenges are widespread, with 63 per cent of households reporting distress linked to constant uncertainty and trauma. Children are especially vulnerable, with 1.5 million at risk of post-traumatic stress syndrome and other issues. Internally displaced people report mental health challenges more frequently than others. Needs are particularly acute in front-line areas and regions bordering the Russian Federation.

Infrastructure destruction has been catastrophic, targeting power grids, water supplies, and transport systems, disrupting basic services and deepening vulnerabilities. Energy infrastructure attacks reduced power capacity, jeopardizing water, gas, and heating during harsh winters, where temperatures can drop to -20°C. Nearly 3,600 educational institutions, including some 2,000 schools, have suffered damage since the escalation of the war, with some 371 educational facilities totally destroyed. Many children in front-line areas face challenges with e-learning due to unstable electricity and internet, threatening a generation’s education.

The economic impact is staggering. As of December 2023, war-related destruction costs reached $152 billion, with housing ($56 billion) and transport ($34 billion) sectors hardest hit. Over 2 million housing units were damaged, primarily in Donetska, Kharkivska, and Zaporizka oblasts. Economic losses exceeded $499 billion due to disrupted activities and widespread unemployment. Poverty levels have risen by 1.8 million, with over 9 million people now living in poverty. Livelihoods remain the most pressing need, especially in front-line areas.

Ukraine’s economy in 2024 remains heavily impacted by the war. Agricultural and industrial hubs in the east have been devastated, rendering much of the country’s infrastructure inoperable. Urban economies have collapsed, with many businesses closed or scaled back. The breach of the Kakhovka Dam in June 2023 further exacerbated agricultural losses and food insecurity. Economic recovery is projected to slow to 3.2 per cent in 2024, down from 4.8 per cent in 2023.

The war has also triggered the fastest and largest displacement crisis in Europe since World War II. Some 6.8 million people have been forced to flee abroad, and as of the end of 2024, some 6.3 million refugees have been recorded in Europe.

The extension of the application of the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) in the European Union until at least March 2026 provides a crucial framework for the continued protection of Ukrainian refugees. Similarly, Moldova’s Temporary Protection regime has been extended until March 2025, with the possibility of further extensions. While TP provides a favourable environment for refugees to receive protection, and access their rights and assistance in host countries, there is uncertainty around what comes next. It is essential to ensure that refugees from Ukraine have continued access to legal certainty and protection also beyond these deadlines until they are able to voluntarily return in conditions of safety and dignity.

Whilst refugees have returned to Ukraine, UNHCR intentions monitoring shows that the ongoing war remains the main barrier to large-scale returns. Providing objective and updated information about the situation in Ukraine remains critical for refugees to make informed decisions about return. The Ukraine is Home platform is key to supporting this process. Refugees should feel assured they can visit Ukraine briefly to maintain family, property, and cultural ties, which is shown to influence longer-term return decisions. Special support is needed for vulnerable refugees to avoid premature returns. If conditions improve, partners are prepared to adapt and assist larger-scale returns.

Inter-agency assessments across the region, including the Socio-Economic Insights Survey, highlight a number of risks faced by refugees from Ukraine, with vulnerabilities increasing over time. Intersectional factors such as disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socio-economic status exacerbate the levels of exposure to these risks.

Family separation remains a key issue. Women and children make up the majority of the refugee population, with 63 per cent being women and girls and 33 per cent being children. This demographic profile raises specific protection risks, particularly around gender-based violence, human trafficking, and different forms of exploitation, including sexual exploitation and abuse.

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) remains one of the most pervasive and structurally embedded human rights violations and continues to disproportionately affect refugee populations. While efforts to combat GBV have grown, significant challenges persist, especially linked to intimate partner violence. A lack of comprehensive data and chronic underreporting remain critical barriers to understanding the full scope of the issue. Survivors often face stigma, fear retaliation, or worry about the impact on their legal stay, deterring them from reporting incidents. Moreover, cultural and linguistic barriers prevent many survivors from seeking help, while legal systems in some countries are ill-equipped to handle cases of GBV.

Sustainable inclusion of refugee children, particularly those without parental care, continues to remain in focus of child protection partners in RRP countries. Such inclusion should guarantee nationally owned child protection case management procedures, underpinned by the principle of the best interests of the child, that should inform all the decisions taken in relation to those refugee children, with the possible involvement of relevant Ukrainian child protection institutions.

Across the region, households with specific needs, such as those with members with disabilities or serious medical conditions, disproportionately struggle to access key rights in host countries. These households face persistent challenges in accessing healthcare, social protection and employment, which lead to deeper social and economic marginalization. People with disabilities often face ‘double barriers’ in accessing services, not speaking a local language being an additional barrier to the disability itself, preventing them from accessing services or have to travel back to Ukraine for the lack of access to services.

The lack of necessary documentation also continues to be a critical issue, with 17 per cent of households missing essential papers, thereby hindering access to rights and services. This has contributed to temporary returns to Ukraine, where refugees attempt to retrieve documents, though some face significant challenges upon re-entering host countries, including the loss of legal status or social benefits.

In education, the situation remains precarious. At the end of the 2023-2024 school year, significant numbers of school-aged children were not enrolled in formal education, while two-thirds of younger children were not accessing early childhood education. Progress has been made in some countries, but low levels of inclusion in national education systems in host countries present significant risks for long-term education, social and developmental outcomes.

In the area of socio-economic inclusion, only between 40 and 60 per cent of refugees are employed, meaning that a substantial proportion are currently unemployed or excluded from the labour force. In addition, when they are employed, refugees are often in informal or low-wage work, exposing them to exploitation. Significant support is needed to ensure sustainable employment and economic self-reliance, including enhanced access to language and vocational training and streamlined pathways to skills and qualifications recognition.

Despite efforts from the host countries to provide access to health services for refugees in line with the TPD, healthcare access remains a challenge. Seventeen per cent of refugees report significant barriers to accessing healthcare, which particularly affects people with chronic illnesses and disabilities. Mental health and psychosocial support needs are particularly acute, with 36 per cent of households reporting at least one member experiencing mental health or psychosocial problems affecting their daily functioning.

Crisis Overview

Key thrusts of the 2025 Humanitarian response

In 2025, the humanitarian community will require US$2.63 billion to provide lifesaving multisectoral assistance to address the most critical needs of 6 million of the 12.7 million people in need. Recognizing the potential for sudden shifts in the context due to the ongoing war and seasonal needs, especially during winter, the humanitarian response will adopt a flexible and agile approach to “emergencies within the emergency”. A people-centred approach will guide assistance delivery to meet the needs of people wherever they are, based on their vulnerability resulting from the direct shock of war.
The response will adhere to the ‘do-no-harm’ principle to mitigate unintended risks. Humanitarian assistance will further explore complementarities with the social protection system of Ukraine wherever possible to align with the principle of ‘reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems’, as set out in the Agenda for Humanity.
National humanitarian organizations will remain central to humanitarian response in Ukraine, while international organizations and the United Nations will complement these efforts. The response will also seek complementarities with recovery initiatives wherever possible.

Response Strategy

Two strategic objectives will guide humanitarian response in 2025, ensuring timely and life-saving interventions:

Strategic Objective (SO1): Provide principled and timely multisectoral life-saving emergency assistance to the most vulnerable internally displaced people and non-displaced war-affected people, ensuring their safety and dignity, with a focus on areas with high severity levels of need.

Activities under SO1 aim at direct delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance to address needs as a result of the direct impact of the ongoing war and allow for more flexible programming to respond to new emergencies

Strategic Objective (SO2): Enable access to prioritized essential services for the most vulnerable internally displaced and non-displaced war-affected people, with a focus on areas with high severity levels of need to ensure their protection, safety and dignity.

Activities under SO2 aim to enable access t services through existing national mechanisms to the extent possible while complementing Ukraine’s social protection system.

The response will be delivered through various modalities, including mobile and static teams, direct service provision, in-kind support, multipurpose and sectoral cash assistance, community-based assistance and capacity-strengthening for local authorities and responders. Protection will be central to the response, with a strong emphasis on addressing gender-based violence, child protection and removing barriers to services and entitlements, including through legal aid to recover civil and property documents.

In alignment with the Grand Bargain commitments 86, cash assistance, including sectoral cash, remains the preferred modality in Ukraine, with priority to multipurpose cash (MPC) to give people dignity in their choices. In-kind assistance will be provided based on sectoral needs assessments and in-country purchases in areas where people do not have access to markets, with the aim of fostering access to goods for vulnerable groups.

While multipurpose cash assistance (MPCA) aims to cover basic needs, sectoral cash will be applied to meet specific needs while avoiding disruption to existing systems put in place by the Government.

In the areas occupied by the Russian Federation in Donetska, Luhanska, Khersonka and Zaporizka oblasts, access negotiations and advocacy efforts will guide response efforts for the estimated one million vulnerable people. This strategy will draw on the approach from the last HNRP, allowing for flexibility to reprogramme and scale up if access improves or more areas become inaccessible.

As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year since the full escalation in February 2022, some needs have become protracted, requiring a longer-term approach to address them, linked to existing national mechanisms for sustainability. Therefore, a clear distinction has been made between activities responding to lifesaving emergency needs under Strategic Objective 1 and activities under Strategic Objective 2 aimed at enabling access to prioritized essential services delivered through government systems where possible.

For the 2025 response, activities that respond to protracted needs arising from structural issues, such as poverty and the broader socioeconomic impact of the war, have been identified and excluded from the HRNP with the aim of sharing them with recovery and development actors.

Cost of the HNRP and the RPP response

In 2025 the humanitarian community will require US$2.63 billion to provide multisectoral humanitarian assistance to 6 million people in Ukraine in 2025. A major component of this is the provision of food security and livelihoods support (23 per cent). Given the destruction of critical infrastructure and housing, shelter needs are the second highest cost of the response (21 per cent), followed by multipurpose cash assistance (16 per cent) and WASH (14 per cent).

The estimated funding requirement for 2025 is approximately 15 per cent lower than the 2024 requirement of $3.1 billion. However, this reduction is not proportional to the decrease in the number of people to be assisted, as inflation and rising operational costs have led to an increase in the cost-per-person in some areas of work, especially in food security and livelihoods, shelter and non-food items, and support to collective sites, as well as gender-based violence and Mine Action services.

Sources: OCHA - Ukraine Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2025 (January 2025)

OCHA, UNHCR - Summary of the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan and the Regional Refugee Response Plan (January 2025)

STATUS OF THE CONFLICT

Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict - December 2024

Highlights

At least 105 civilians were killed and 514 injured in Ukraine in December, making it the month with the lowest number of civilians killed since the full-scale invasion.
The vast majority of civilian casualties (93 per cent) and damage to educational and health facilities (86 per cent) occurred in territory controlled by Ukraine.
The majority of casualties (78 per cent) occurred near the frontline, with the highest numbers in Kherson and Donetsk regions. Almost half of the frontline casualties were caused by attacks with short-range drones.
Twenty per cent of the casualties resulted from the use of long-range weapons (missiles and loitering munitions) launched by Russian armed forces. Civilian casualties from missiles and loitering munitions were recorded in eight regions of Ukraine.
Russian armed forces conducted two large-scale, coordinated attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, damaging at least 13 electricity and heat generation, as well as distribution facilities in nine regions. The attacks resulted in emergency power outages in many regions and the resumption of daily scheduled power outages across the country.

Incidents

On 10 December, a missile struck a commercial building in Zaporizhzhia City, where two medical facilities were located. In total, 11 civilians (8 women and 3 men) were killed, including four staff members of an ophthalmological center, and 20 civilians (12 women, 7 men and 1 girl) sustained injuries in the attack.
On 13 December, a coordinated missile and loitering munitions attack damaged at least 5 energy facilities in 4 regions of Ukraine. The attack also resulted in at least three civilians (men) injured.
On 25 December, another coordinated missile and loitering munitions attack damaged at least 10 energy infrastructure facilities, including hydroelectric and thermal power plants, in 8 regions of Ukraine. The attack also resulted in at least one civilian man killed and three civilians (2 men and 1 woman) injured, national wide power outages, and damage to housing and property.

Source: OHCHR

UPDATES ON INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE

Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine Launches $70 Million Allocation to Support 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan

The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine announced the launch of the First Standard Allocation of US$70 million from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF) to support activities outlined in the 2025 HNRP.

This funding will enable comprehensive, needs-driven multisectoral assistance to newly displaced people, returnees and people living in front-line communities and parts of the country affected by ongoing hostilities. The allocation prioritizes assistance for the most vulnerable people in areas with the highest severity of need.

Specifically, the allocation focuses on:

Support such as shelter and immediate assistance for newly displaced people fleeing front-line areas.
Assistance for civilians in front-line areas, including health services, food, water and protection.
Capacity strengthening for smaller Ukrainian organizations, including Women’s Rights Organizations, Organizations of People with disabilities, and groups representing marginalized communities, including Roma and LGBTIQ+.

Source: OCHA

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New EU humanitarian aid package worth €148 million for Ukraine

As Russia's war of aggression continues to devastate Ukraine, some 12.7 million people are in need of urgent assistance. The newly released funds from the European Commission will provide life-saving support and ensure that essential aid reaches the most vulnerable people in Ukraine.

This new €148 million package will continue to fund vital humanitarian aid measures in both Ukraine and Moldova and will bring the total amount allocated by the European Commission in humanitarian aid to over €1.1 billion. It is divided as follows:

€140 million is allocated for humanitarian projects in Ukraine . The funds will be used to provide emergency assistance, including food, shelter, clean water, healthcare and winter protection. Key priorities include supporting vulnerable populations in the war-affected eastern and southern regions of Ukraine;
€8 million is allocated to humanitarian projects in Moldova . The support will focus on helping Ukrainian refugees and Moldovan host communities, with priority given to cash assistance, access to essential services such as healthcare and education, and psychosocial support.

Hadja Lahbib , Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management and Equality, is in Ukraine today to reinforce the EU's ongoing efforts to deliver vital assistance. During her visit, Commissioner Lahbib is expected to meet key Ukrainian leaders, including President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior officials, to discuss urgent humanitarian challenges and the strategic allocation of EU assistance. She will also hold talks with beneficiaries of EU humanitarian aid and local partners.

Before her arrival in Kyiv, Commissioner Lahbib visited the EU Medevac centre in Rzeszów, which facilitates medical evacuations of critically ill patients from Ukraine and neighbouring countries under the Civil Protection Mechanism. Some 4,000 patients have been transferred to European hospitals for treatment since the system was set up in March 2022.

Since the start of the Russian aggression, the EU has coordinated the largest ever operation under its Civil Protection Mechanism , with over 150,000 tonnes of in-kind assistance delivered to Ukraine. The EU has also deployed resources from its rescEU reserve to Ukraine, including power generators, medical equipment, temporary shelters and water treatment plants.

Context

The EU has been providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since the start of the conflict in 2014, responding to the needs of vulnerable communities in the country. Following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, the EU has significantly stepped up its response to address the unprecedented humanitarian challenges caused by the war. Russia's ongoing aggression continues to seriously endanger civilian lives and cause significant damage to critical infrastructure, and the EU remains deeply concerned by Russia's violations of international humanitarian law .

In response, the EU has mobilised all available resources to provide emergency assistance. To date, the European Commission has allocated over €1.1 billion in humanitarian aid, including today's €148 million. Of this, €1.09 billion has been spent on humanitarian programmes in Ukraine and €84 million has been used to support refugees who have fled to neighbouring Moldova.

In addition to its humanitarian aid operations, the EU is coordinating the largest ever operation under its Civil Protection Mechanism , with over 150,000 tonnes of in-kind aid delivered to Ukraine, in the form of ambulances, fire engines, medicines, shelters, electricity generators, etc.

To provide additional support in this crisis, the EU has also deployed its own rescEU emergency stockpiles to send power generators, medical supplies, temporary shelters and specialised equipment to address public health risks such as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

Source: ECHO

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UK pledges support for Ukraine with 100-year pact

Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to put Ukraine in the "strongest possible position" on a trip to Kyiv where he signed a "landmark" 100-year pact with the war-stricken country.

The prime minister's visit on Thursday was at one point marked by loud blasts and air raid sirens after a reported Russian drone attack was intercepted by Ukraine's defence systems.

Zelensky praised the UK's commitment on Thursday, amid wider concerns that the US President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to take office on Monday, could potentially reduce aid.

Zelensky is looking to firm up security guarantees from key allies as there are worries the US - which is Ukraine's biggest financial backer - could start pushing Ukraine to make peace with Russia.

"We are with you not just today, for this year or the next - but for 100 years - long after this terrible war is over and Ukraine is free and thriving once again," he told Zelensky in Kyiv.

He also said that the UK would work with all its allies to ensure that any deal ending the war would be strong enough to "guarantee Ukraine's security" and "deter any future aggression."

Zelensky has previously asked for the UK, as well as other European allies like France, to send troops to Ukraine for a peacekeeping operation after the war.

Starmer has not said whether the UK would deploy troops - saying only in response to a journalist's question: "It's really important that Ukraine is put in the strongest possible position."

The latest pledges build on the £12.8bn the UK has already given to Ukraine and commitments of £3bn every year for "as long as it takes".

As well as military support, including the delivery of a new mobile air defence system to be designed in the UK and funded by Denmark, the accord includes economic aid, support for healthcare, and increased military collaboration on maritime security and drone technology.

The UK will also continue to train Ukrainian troops. More than 50,000 have been trained on British soil so far.

Joining Nato is near the top of his wish list, but Ukraine also wants its allies to send peacekeepers to the country if fighting does stop, to patrol the current frontline which could become a buffer zone in any peace agreement.

Ukraine has already been using British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to attack Russian military facilities far from the border.

Thursday's announced partnership, formed of a treaty and a political declaration, is due to be presented to Parliament in the coming weeks. Plans for it began under the previous Conservative government.

While this is his first visit as prime minister, Sir Keir visited Ukraine when he was leader of the opposition in 2023, and has hosted Zelensky twice at Downing Street since entering office.

Source: BBC

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Government of Croatia provides highest ever funding to UNHCR, helping Ukrainians get through the harsh winter

The Government of Croatia and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, signed today a new funding agreement to support eco-friendly and alternative energy solutions in the humanitarian and recovery efforts in Ukraine. The contribution of EUR 2 million will help expand UNHCR’s winter response and ensure that displaced and other war-affected families have access to alternative energy sources, like portable power stations, and receive support to repair and insulate substandard homes.

Freezing temperatures, coupled with a challenging energy situation caused by the Russian Federation’s repeated attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, are exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation for millions of people across the country.

This timely contribution is the highest the Government of Croatia has ever made to UNHCR. This generous increase will allow UNHCR to scale up support to the most vulnerable families in Ukraine this winter, as millions of people continue facing challenges with access to electricity, heating, and water due to damages to energy infrastructure and homes.

“Following Russia’s continuous indiscriminate attacks on energy infrastructure, Croatia significantly increased its support to Ukraine energy sector with 4 million euros for the period 2024-2025. I am particularly pleased that we are starting this year with 2 million euros contribution to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Croatia’s contribution will help provide war-affected Ukrainians with essential winterization items and it will also directly support the Ukrainian Government’s priorities for early recovery and resilience-building. I thank the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for their excellent work and cooperation in this joint endeavor,“ says Gordan Grlić Radman, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia.

UNHCR’s winter response includes the distribution of eco-friendly and portable power stations to vulnerable families in houses and apartments as well as to collective sites hosting the most vulnerable internally displaced people, who often have nowhere else to seek shelter. UNHCR is distributing and installing Rapid Thermal Kits with materials to quickly – as well as cost- and energy-efficiently – improve insulation of private homes.

For families, whose homes have been damaged in the war, UNHCR and partners are doing repair works such as replacing windows and fixing broken roofs to ensure families can stay warm in their own homes and not be compelled to move.

Source: UNHCR

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Zelenskyy, Macron discuss Western troop deployment in Ukraine before German defense chief visits

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he has held further discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron about the possibility of Western troops deploying in Ukraine to safeguard any peace deal ending the nearly three-year war with Russia.

Zelenskyy’s disclosure came before an official visit to Kyiv on Tuesday by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. He arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit following a meeting in Warsaw on Monday with his counterparts from France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Poland.

Germany and the four other countries are Europe’s five top military spenders.

Pistorius told German news agency dpa that his visit to Kyiv aims to underscore Germany’s strong support for Ukraine at a time when U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s term beginning next week looks set to bring deep changes to Washington’s policy on the war.

Pistorius said that his visit “is a signal that Germany, as the biggest NATO country in Europe, stands by Ukraine — not alone, but with the group of five and many other allies.”

Trump has criticized the cost of the war for U.S. taxpayers through major military aid packages for Ukraine, and vowed to bring the conflict to a swift end. He also has made it clear that he wants to shift more of the Ukraine burden onto Europe.

Macron prompted an outcry from other leaders, and he appeared isolated on the European stage, after his remarks almost a year ago floated the possibility of putting Western troops in Ukraine.

Pistorius told reporters in Kyiv that the Warsaw meeting didn’t discuss Macron’s remarks about troop deployments.

Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine needs security guarantees to bolster any peace agreement — an issue he said late Monday that he discussed with the French leader.

Potentially sending European troops as peacekeepers to Ukraine is fraught with risk. Such a move may not deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again in the future, which is the fear of Ukrainian officials, and could drag European countries into a direct confrontation with Moscow. That, in turn, could pull NATO — including the United States — into a conflict.

Russia’s bigger army has largely pinned Ukrainian forces on the defensive along the around 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line. Ukraine’s defenses are creaking in the eastern Donetsk region amid a Russian onslaught.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine has more than 100 brigades on the battlefield and each of them requires equipment replenishment before potentially increasing the number of troops through a wider mobilization.

Ukraine has built up a domestic arsenal of long-range drones and missiles that it uses to hit targets on Russian soil far behind the front line. The targets are usually infrastructure that supports the Russian war effort, such as arms depots, oil refineries and manufacturing plants.

Source: AP News

HOLY FATHER ON UKRAINE

Angelus - January 19, 2025

In these days of prayer for Christian unity, let us not cease to invoke from God the precious gift of full communion between all the Lord’s disciples. And let us pray always for tormented Ukraine, for Palestine, Israel, Myanmar and all the populations who are suffering because of war.

In questi giorni di preghiera per l’unità dei cristiani, non cessiamo di invocare da Dio il dono prezioso della piena comunione tra tutti i discepoli del Signore. E preghiamo sempre per la martoriata Ucraina, per la Palestina, Israele, il Myanmar e per tutte le popolazioni che soffrono per la guerra.

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General Audience - January 15, 2025

E non dimentichiamo la martoriata Ucraina, il Myanmar, la Palestina, Israele, e tanti Paesi che sono in guerra. Preghiamo per la pace. La guerra sempre è una sconfitta! E per favore, preghiamo anche per la conversione del cuore dei fabbricanti di armi, perché con il loro prodotto aiutano a uccidere.

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