Weekly Update #39
November 28
November 28
SITUATION OVERVIEW
This section presents the most up-to-date information on the Ukraine conflict. Key sources of these data are:
The UN Office of the Commission of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
The UNHCR data portal
The International Office of Migration (IOM)
Further details may be obtained from the provided links to their respective websites.
General Figures
Refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe
7,867,219
Last updated 22 Nov 2022
Refugees from Ukraine registered for Temporary Protection or similar national protection schemes in Europe
4,751,065
Last updated 22 Nov 2022
Border crossings from Ukraine (since 24 February 2022)
15,591,979
Last updated 22 Nov 2022
Border crossings to Ukraine (since 28 February 2022)
7,938,861
Last updated 22 Nov 2022
CURRENT SITUATION
A new wave of attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure this afternoon has left millions of people in all regions of the country without electricity, adding to the already grave energy crisis faced by millions of Ukrainians. The emergency power outages – which come on top to the ongoing scheduled cuts – also affect access to water and heating, at a time when temperatures are below zero in many parts of the country.
Today’s strikes happened just a few hours after the European Parliament passed a resolution declaring the Russian Federation a “state sponsor of terrorism”, stating that deliberate attacks and atrocities committed against Ukraine violate human rights law and international humanitarian law.
Following the attacks, some Ukrainian regions like Lviv in the west, Zaporizhzhia and Odesa in the south and Chernihiv in the north have been completely disconnected from electricity. Blackouts are also affecting large parts of the central regions of Vinnytsya and Dnipro, western Khmelnitsk, northern-eastern Kharkiv and Sumy, southern Mykolaiv and the capital Kyiv. According to the Ministry of Energy, temporary power outages have affected all Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
Ukraine Territorial Map
In Kyiv, the entire population – estimated at around 3 million people – was left without water today, and authorities stated they are working around the clock to restore the supply. Residential buildings were also hit in Kyiv and in Chabany and Vyshhorod towns in the outskirts of the capital, with 30 people killed in those localities.
In addition to energy infrastructure, residential buildings were also hit in Kyiv and in Chabany and Vyshhorod towns, in the outskirts of the capital. While search and rescue teams are still operating, authorities have confirmed that over 30 civilians have been killed or injured in the three localities.
The energy system in Ukraine is on the brink of collapse and millions have been subjected to emergency blackouts over recent weeks as Russia has attacked power facilities in an apparent effort to force capitulation after nine months of war that has seen its forces fail in most of their stated territorial objectives.
As the Russian shelling continues, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has started providing onsite support to four more Ukrainian nuclear power plants – Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, South Ukraine, and Chornobyl – in response to a request from the country. These plants were disconnected from the grid and "forced to rely on emergency diesel generators for the electricity they needed to ensure their continued safety and security," according to the IAEA Director.
Source: OCHA Flash Update No. 7, November 24, 2022
Ukraine war: Facing a harsh winter on the front line
INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS
IOM regularly conducts an Area Baseline Assessment on the number and geographic location of officially recorded internally displaced persons (IDPs). Their latest Baseline Assessment (Round 16) taken between 21 October and 11 November across 21 oblasts and Kyiv City covered 106 raions and 982 hromadas.
Highlights of the Assessment include:
Among oblasts, Kharkivska (430,242), Dnipropetrovska (355,493) and Kyivska (335,517) have the highest number of displaced persons.
At the raion level, Kyivska, Kharkivskyi, Zaporizkyi, Dniprovskyi and Lvivskyi host the highest number of recorded IDPs, with over 148,000 each.
Of the total IDPs, the majority have been displaced from Donetska, Kharkivska and Luhanska oblasts.
Out of the 155 cities/towns that reported IDP figures, Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Lviv recorded the highest displacement figures.
Since the previous round, the official figures for IDPs have increased by nearly 25%. The largest increases in registered IDP presence were registered in Zaporizka while a more moderate increase is observed in other Eastern oblasts. The situation in Eastern and frontline regions, however, remains fluid, as many reports indicate that individuals are fleeing from conflict zones and returning to liberated areas.
Source: IOM Ukraine — Displacement Report - Area Baseline Report (Raion level) — Round 16 (October 31st -November 11th 2022)
CIVILIAN CASULTIES
(As of November 21, 2022)
Total civilian casualties from 24 February to 20 November 2022
From 24 February 2022, when the Russian Federation’s armed attack against Ukraine started, to 13 November 2022, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded: recorded 16,784 civilian casualties in the country.
This included:
a total of 6,595 killed (2,575 men, 1,767 women, 172 girls, and 206 boys, as well as 37 children and 1,838 adults whose sex is yet unknown)
a total of 10,189 injured (2,212 men, 1,579 women, 211 girls, and 299 boys, as well as 245 children and 5,643 adults whose sex is yet unknown)
These casualties took place in the Donetsk and Luhansk region with 9,277 casualties (3,939 killed and 5,338 injured):
On Government-controlled territory: 7,305 casualties (3,490 killed and 3,815 injured)
On territory controlled by Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups: 1,972 casualties (449 killed and 1,523 injured)
Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with wide area effects, including shelling from heavy artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, missiles and air strikes.
Total civilian casualties from 1-20 November 2022
OHCHR recorded 400 civilian casualties:
95 killed (25 men, 19 women, 2 girls, 1 boy, as well as 3 children and 45 adults whose sex is yet unknown); and
305 injured (94 men, 56 women, 5 girls, 8 boys, as well as 3 children and 139 adults whose sex is yet unknown).
IMPACT ON HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
In light of the continued displacement situation, UNHCR announced the extension of the Level 3 emergency for Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, as well as the extension of the Level 2 emergency for other affected countries, specifically Belarus, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic. Level 3 emergencies activate the system-wide humanitarian mobilization of capacity, including leadership, staffing and funding, to enable accelerated and scaled-up delivery of assistance and protection.
Humanitarian organizations in Ukraine are working to support people facing the challenges imposed by the energy crisis. Over the past weeks, more than 430,000 people have received some sort of direct winter assistance, and nearly Nearly 400 generators have already been delivered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), UNICEF, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), and the World Health Organization (WHO), with thousands more in the pipeline.
HUMANITARIAN PARTNERS IN UKRAINE
(as of 10 November 2022)
In addition, the United Nations has been supporting the authorities with generators to ensure energy supply to critical facilities such as hospitals, schools, and heating points, where people can keep warm if their homes are disconnected from heating systems or electricity. The Government has informed the population that over 4,000 heating points have been established across all Ukraine’s regions, and the United Nations and humanitarian partners are providing supplies to these facilities.
Sources: OCHA Ukraine: Escalation of attacks across the country, Flash Update No.7 (23 Nov 2022)
OCHA Ukraine: 5W Operational Presence As of 10 November 2022
Second inter-agency humanitarian convoy delivers life-saving assistance to people in Kherson
On 21 November, a 13-truck convoy comprised of UN organizations and NGOs delivered essential supplies to Kherson city, the second such mission in one week. As part of this humanitarian convoy, UNHCR delivered over 3,000 items including:
high-thermal blankets, bed linen, sleeping bags, solar lamps, jerry cans, and hygiene kits.
Medical kits enough to treat 100,000 people for 3 months, and kits for women & girls’ reproductive health
Water for nearly 10,000 people
Blankets, sleeping bags for 500 families
300 solar lamps
During the eight months of Russian occupation, Kherson residents have had very limited access toential essential items and are currently facing brutally cold weather conditions coupled with heavily damaged heating and electricity infrastructure.
Within the past two weeks, 21 partners of the Food Security and Livelihood Cluster coordinated by the World Food Program reached 1.7 million people with in-kind food parcels (66%), emergency rations (22%) and hot meals (12%) across 24 oblasts in Ukraine.
The biggest amount of food assistance was provided in three oblasts: Kharkiv (over 544,000 people),
Donetsk (over 262,000 people), and in Mykolaiv (over 250,000 people), and which covered 32%, 15.4%, and 14.7% from the entire amount of aid provided, respectively.
Additional assistance to an estimated 378,699 people was provided by WFP with bread, rapid response rations, and 30-day food rations in the newly accessible areas of the following oblasts: 313,157 people in Kharkiv, 53,225 in Kherson, 250 in Donetsk, and 12,067 in Mykolaiv.
Sources: UNHCR Ukraine Operational Response Delivery Update - 23 November 2022
WFP Ukraine Limited Emergency Operation External Situation Report, 19 November 2022
EU countries donate generators to Ukraine
A number of European Union countries said they will donate power generators to Ukraine to help the country have heating for the winter.
France has announced it will send 100 high-power generators to Ukraine, accusing Russia to use winter as a weapon of war.
Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib announced that the Czech Republic will also donate power generators to Ukraine. Hřib said the package would include 626 heaters, with 400 for Kyiv and 226 for Mykolaiv, along with other equipment. In addition, the Czech Republic, a top host country of Ukrainian refuges will be donating medical supplies to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine worth almost a million US dollars.
Similarly, Latvia’s ambassador to Ukraine, Oleksandr Mishchenko, announced that the capital city of Riga had partnered with a charity to donate 84 power generators and 100 heat guns for Kyiv.
UN partners boost mobile protection services
The need for protection services for refugees and IDPs has increased, as the war is prolonged, and its impact disproportionately felt by women and children. Humanitarian partners are continuously working to provide psychosocial support and legal aid
Noting gaps in protection services, UNHCR and its partners have intensified efforts to meet critical service gaps through a variety of means, such as multi-functional mobile teams, which go to hard-to-reach or insecure locations, where access to social and protection services have been disrupted. A mobile response team is made up of specialists, including social workers, psychologists, and lawyers and are in the field daily to meet with community residents who may be able to provide key information and to be available to survivors.
Capacity-building programs are also offered ers on protection against sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) to. The training sessions are offered on a monthly basis and target staff in all functions in national and international NGOs across Ukraine.
European Union expands programme of support to Ukraine
The European Union is providing a €35 million contribution to UN Development Programme (UNDP) to support early recovery of war-affected communities in Ukraine. The United Nations Development Programme and the European Union today announced an additional investment of €35 million ($34.4 million) into UNDP’s Resilience Building and Recovery (RBR) Programme for Ukraine.
The overall objective of the Programme is to support Ukraine in withstanding the full-scale Russian invasion, introducing early recovery and rebuilding efforts as conditions allow, and facilitating a swift return to development pathways and processes to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The EU Delegation to Ukraine said the new contribution aligns with the key outputs of the EU Emergency Support Programme for Ukraine, while supporting the practical implementation of a number of reform prerequisites for EU accession, including strengthening the rule of law and supporting structural economic reforms.
The new funds will be used to expand programmes and community initiatives to support their further integration into host communities, with emphasis on youth engagement and on local solutions for early recovery planning. Women and men veterans will be one of the key target groups for assistance under the expanded programme.
Source: European Union expands programme of support to Ukraine
HOLY FATHER ON UKRAINE
General Audience - November 23, 2022
Let us pray for peace in the world, and for an end to all conflicts, with a special thought for the terrible suffering of the dear and martyred people of Ukraine. And let us think of war-torn Ukraine. This Saturday is the anniversary of the terrible Holodomor genocide, the extermination by hunger in 1932-33 artificially caused by Stalin. Let us pray for the victims of this genocide and let us pray for all Ukrainians, the children, the women and the elderly, the babies who are today suffering the martyrdom of aggression.
Preghiamo per la pace nel mondo e per la fine di tutti i conflitti, con un pensiero particolare per le terribili sofferenze del caro e martoriato popolo ucraino. In proposito, sabato prossimo ricorre l’anniversario del terribile genocidio del Holodomor, lo sterminio per la fame nel 1932-33 causato artificiosamente da Stalin in Ucraina. Preghiamo per le vittime di questo genocidio e preghiamo per tanti ucraini, bambini, donne e anziani, bimbi, che oggi soffrono il martirio dell’aggressione.
Links to the full text in ITALIAN and ENGLISHAngelus - November 27, 2022
I greet the participants in the March that took place this morning to denounce sexual violence against women, unfortunately a general and widespread reality everywhere and also used as a weapon of war. Let us not tire of saying no to war, no to violence, yes to dialogue, yes to peace; in particular for the martyred Ukrainian people. Yesterday we recalled the tragedy of the Holodomor.
Saluto i partecipanti alla Marcia che si è svolta questa mattina per denunciare la violenza sessuale sulle donne, purtroppo una realtà generale e diffusa dappertutto e utilizzata anche come arma di guerra. Non stanchiamoci di dire no alla guerra, no alla violenza, sì al dialogo, sì alla pace; in particolare per il martoriato popolo ucraino. Ieri abbiamo ricorda la tragedia dell’Holodomor.
Links to the full text in ITALIAN and ENGLISHNEWS
The joint retreat of the bishops of the UGCC and the RCC in Ukraine ended with a fraternal meeting (Google translate)
On the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor in Ukraine, Cardinal Nych of Warsaw urged not to forget about refugees (Google translate)
Ukraine, card. Parolin: "Diplomacy hasn't produced great results so far" (Google translate)
IMAGES FROM THE MEMBERS
Caritas Ukraine: Employees visited the city of Skole to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants