Weekly Update #54
March 13

Fighting continued in the Donetsk region, where Russian forces moved their positions forward around Bakhmut, attempting to encircle the city. Clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces also concentrated in the areas of Avdiivka, Marinka, and Vuhledar. In the Luhansk and Kharkiv regions, Russian forces continued offensive operations along the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna axis.

Russian forces continued to target civilian infrastructure with shelling and missile strikes, reportedly killing over 25 civilians last week in the Donetsk, Khakiv, Kherson, Sumy, and Zaporizhia regions. At least 13 civilians were reportedly killed when a Russian missile hit a residential building in Zaporizhia city on 2 March. On 27 February and 1 March, Russia also launched a series of coordinated missile and drone strikes targeting areas further from the frontline, including the Kyiv, Poltava, and Khmetnytskyi regions.

On 4-5 March, Russian forces continued artillery shelling and missile attacks in nine regions of Ukraine, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to residential areas. Intense shelling has compounded an already precarious humanitarian situation

in the town of Bakhmut. Local authorities expect to receive up to 1,000 internally displaced people evacuated from hot spots, such as Bakhmut, in the upcoming weeks.

The security situation in the frontline town of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region has deteriorated significantly, with sustained intense shelling. According to local authorities, access to the town remains limited. Of the 70000 to 80000 people w hol ived in Bakhmut before the war, only around 7000 remain.

Additionally, the Ukrainian government ordered a partial evacuation of civilians from Kharkiv Oblast’s Kupyansk city— located near the front line and approximately 80 miles northwest from Bakhmut—on March 2 due to frequent shelling by GoRF forces. The partial evacuation order applies to families with children and residents with limited mobility; more than 800 children and 700 people with disabilities are currently registered as residing in the city, according to the GoU. Evacuees from Kupyansk will receive food, housing, medical assistance, and other humanitarian support, according to Kharkiv officials. Ukraine has also repeatedly urged residents to evacuate southern Ukraine’s Kherson city, which was retaken by the Ukrainian forces in November but remains subject to daily shelling by Russsian forces on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River. Russia launched approximately 360 aerial attacks at Kherson oblast on March 6 alone, according to Ukraine officials. Other communities near the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine—including areas of Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Poltava, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhya oblasts—also continued to face frequent shelling attacks in late February and early March, resulting in civilian casualties and damaged infrastructure.

The Russian missile strikes on March 9 also resulted in the temporary disconnection of Zaporizhzhya Oblast’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) from the Ukrainian electrical grid, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The plant relies on external power lines to maintain reactor cooling and other essential nuclear safety and security functions. All six of the plant’s reactors remained in a shutdown state prior to and following the attack. The March 9 attack was the sixth instance that the ZNPP had been disconnected since the invasion began on February 24, 2022. Approximately 10 hours after the attack, Ukraine’s state-owned power company Ukrenergo successfully restored external power to the ZNPP, international media report.

Sources: ACLED

USAID Ukraine - Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #10, Fiscal Year (FY) 2023

WHO: War in Ukraine: Situation report from WHO Ukraine country office. Issue No. 47, 10 March 2023

One-year monitoring report on conflict now available

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) has recorded nearly 40,000 political violence events across the country. Three-quarters of these events are shelling, artillery, and missile strikes mostly affecting the northeastern, eastern, and southern regions of Ukraine. Quantifying the civilian toll of the conflict presents a challenge – especially in areas continuously engulfed by violence, like eastern Ukraine. In areas under Russian occupation, reports of abductions, forced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial executions have been widespread, though the scale of violence against civilians becomes known only upon the liberation of territories, evidenced in the case of northern Ukraine and especially the Kyiv suburbs.

ACLED has released its one year report on the conflict, War in Ukraine: One Year On, Nowhere Safe, The report describes the ensuing fighting that has led to the highest levels of political violence recorded in a single country by ACLED in 2022, which has had a heavy toll on civilians, who are not only caught up in shelling and indiscriminate strikes, but are also subjected to deliberate attacks and harsh treatment in occupied areas.

This report breaks down trends according to geographic region to account for the inevitably varying levels of clarity available for each, as different regions have seen different levels of violence and occupation over the course of the conflict. Northern Ukraine was occupied only briefly, though the large-scale killings and the ill-treatment of civilians perpetrated by the Russian forces may constitute apparent war crimes.

Source: https://acleddata.com/2023/03/01/war-in-ukraine-one-year-on-nowhere-safe/

Wagner Group expands recruitment centers

Wagner financier Yevgeny Prigozhin said that he would transform the Wagner Group into a hardline ideological elite parallel military organization after the Battle of Bakhmut. Prigozhin stated on March 11 that the Wagner Group will start a new wave of recruitment after the envisioned capture of Bakhmut and reform itself into an army with an ideological component.[5] The Wagner Group has recently been expanding recruitment centers throughout Russia, including centers and programs focused on recruiting youth.[6] A Russian regional news source stated on March 11 that the Wagner Group has opened six recruitment centers in schools and youth sports clubs in Altai, Zabaykalsky, and Krasnoyarsk krais and Irkutsk Oblast.

A Russian opposition news source reported on March 11 that the Ministry of Education in Apatity, Murmansk Oblast included Wagner personnel at a career guidance lesson to tell “heroic stories” and promote the Wagneryonok [“little Wagner”] youth group and summer camp in Crimea.[8] The Wagner Group likely aims to recruit more impressionable recruits through these youth-focused campaigns and instill in them Prigozhin’s extremist ideological brand of Russian ultranationalism.

Prigozhin may be attempting to restructure the Wagner Group into a hardline ideological elite parallel military organization to carve out a specialized role among Russian forces in Ukraine as its former role in solely securing tactical gains dissipates with the Wagner Group’s likely culmination around Bakhmut.

Sources: ISW: RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 11, 2023

USAID Ukraine - Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #10, Fiscal Year (FY) 2023

CIVILIAN CASUALTIES

(As of March 5, 2023)

Total civilian casualties from 24 Feb 2022-5 March 2023

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recorded

21,793 civilian casualties in the country:

8,173 killed and
13,620 injured.

17,481 casualties (6,322 killed and 11,159 injured) were in territory controlled by the Government.

Civilian casualties from 1 to 28 February 2023.

OHCHR recorded 589 civilian casualties in Ukraine:

138 killed (69 men, 40 women, 1 girl, as well as 28 adults whose sex is not yet known); and
451 injured (155 men, 95 women, 11 boys, 9 girls, as well as 181 adults whose sex is not yet known)

Source: OHCHR

Attacks on health facilities and services (As of March 6)

Source: WHO

THE HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Humanitarian aid presence in Ukraine

Source: OCHA

Daily Press Briefing on Ukraine by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 10 March 2023

The Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary General reported on March 10 that three trucks with UN humanitarian supplies off-loaded their cargo in Chasiv Yar, which is about 10 kilometres from Bakhmut. The convoy carried supplies for some 2,000 people, including medical and hygiene supplies, food, solar lamps and tarpaulins.

The items were provided by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Children’s agency (UNICEF), the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), World Food Programme and the World Health Organization (WHO).

It was reported that most of the 16,000 people who previously lived in Chasiv Yar and surrounding communities have now fled. Chasiv Yar was completely cut off from gas supplies more than a month ago and all water is being trucked in, in the area. Access to electricity remains extremely limited with the only ambulance which is still functioning having limited capacity due to insecurity.

The city also hosts people who fled from Bakhmut recently. Less than a month ago, another inter-agency convoy was sent to Sloviansk with supplies to people in Soledar, Chasiv Yar and Toretsk. We have been there on many other occasions before that.

So far this year, UN humanitarian partners have sent 26 inter-agency convoys to communities living close to the front line, supporting nearly 230,000 men, women and children. More than 10 of them reached communities in areas controlled by Ukraine in the Donetsk region, providing much-needed items to approximately 100,000 people.

Source: https://press.un.org/en/2023/db230310.doc.htm

Medical evacuations (Medevac) operations established

The European Commission (DG ECHO and DG SANTE) has set up a standard operating procedure for the medical evacuation of Ukrainian people in need of urgent medical care.

Pre-planned flights for groups of MEDEVAC patients have been taking place twice per week since mid August, using a medicalised plane offered by Norway. This is centrally coordinated by the ERCC and by Medevac liaison officers, who are embedded in the ERCC. EU MEDEVAC Hub has been operating since 9 September.

Source: ECHO

Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine releases social protection program

The Ministry of Social Policy presented a comprehensive approach to the humanitarian response. This program will have the following coverage:

Cash assistance as an alternative to ready-made sets of food, hygiene kits, clothing, etc. (provided that the infrastructure of the settlement allows for independent purchases)
Financing / co-financing of state social benefits (through the eDopomoha platform)
Financing of social services to support vulnerable groups, including to support their integration and resilience
Combination of hard and soft components (financial assistance + social services)
Supporting the care by family communities of those members who are most vulnerable - children, elderly, persons with disabilities through the provision of additional social services and financial assistance
Restoring and strengthening the work of social service providers in communities

The current conflict has exacerbated challenges of coverage for the most vulnerable through national social benefits and services, as well as adequacy of assistance provided, particularly in inaccessible areas. The need for social policy reform and bolstering has now become pressing. Although sizable funding and resources are increasingly being provided by development donors through direct budgetary support to the Ukrainian Government, this centres on rehabilitation efforts to ensure that key infrastructure and national institutions continue to operate at the current level.

Source: Social Protection of Vulnerable Groups: Request for Support from International Organizations

The state of the social protection system in Ukraine as it reaches the one-year mark of the conflict

Belgian aid to Ukraine

So far, Belgium has allocated 91.4 million euros in civilian aid to Ukraine. In addition to humanitarian aid, Belgium is also contributing to the reconstruction of hospitals and schools. It is also supporting human rights and the battle against impunity.

As early as Day 1 of the war – 24 February 2022 – the Belgian emergency intervention team B-FAST sent tents, kitchen kits, blankets and hygiene kits, among other things. Since then, Belgium has continued to focus on emergency goods. These include medical equipment such as surgical gloves, respirators, needles and syringes, masks and medications as well as milk powder, generators for generating electricity, food, camp beds, sleeping bags. Some of the emergency assistance was provided by the FPS Public Health.

In addition, Belgium spent much of its humanitarian aid through specialist international institutions. For example, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) received 8 million euros, in part to help local communities remove unexploded explosives. Organizations such as UNICEF, the Norwegian Refugee Council, IOM, and Geneva Call (a nonprofit) received support to provide educational and medical services.

Furthermore, Belgium has supported the Grain from Ukraine initiative with 10 million euros, which transports Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea to countries such as Sudan, where millions of people are living in acute famine.

A key component of the Belgian support relates to human rights and the battle against impunity, through which OHCHR and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe are able to promote human rights.

The total civilian and military aid extended by Belgium amounts to 332.9 million euros.

Source: https://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/policy/policy-areas/highlighted/civilian-aid-ukraine-overview

Salesians support more than 100 projects for people impacted by war

In a press release, the Salesian missionaries reported on their own humanitarian response to Ukraine since the start of the war.

Since the beginning, Salesian missionaries have been supporting people who remained in the country and those who fled to neighboring countries for protection. Salesians in Poland and Slovakia, among those in other countries, have welcomed refugees and provided shelter, food, medical support and education. Convoys of medical aid have also left Poland to help Salesians who are sheltering people in Ukraine.

Thanks to the aid received, some Salesian schools in Ukraine have been able to remain open and provide education in emergency situations by building shelters and providing support for water, electricity and gas supplies. There is also some psychological support for students, teachers, and families, while some school costs are being covered.

Sixty-six Salesian organizations from five continents have supported more than 100 projects. Projects include the construction of emergency shelters, support to refugees abroad and internally displaced persons, and educational programs and activities for children and youth. There is also a special emergency plan to cope with winter, as well as aid to affected communities with essential medicines, vehicles, field kitchens, food, clothes, tents, blankets and other specific forms of aid requested.

“We want to bring aid as close as possible to the border, where most of the villages have been destroyed, houses have been burned and people are living assembled in shelters. They need help,” said Father Józef Nuckowski, who led a convoy of aid collected through the generosity of the Salesian family from around the world. “It is thanks to our donors that we can get this aid this far.”

Fr. Nuckowski stressed the importance of the aid delivered as he arrived in Luch, not far from Kherson in southern Ukraine. “Really, everything has been destroyed. Every building has been hit, no one has been left untouched.”

People have been generous in their support and it has been life-saving for those who have been impacted. One of the 55 people remaining in Luch said, “We have experienced the full harshness of the war since its beginning. We just hope that all this will end well, that we can rebuild our village and live in peace.”

Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, has sent food and medical aid to help support people in need. A recent shipment reached more than 1,000 people. In addition to these efforts, soon after the war started, Salesian Missions launched a Ukraine Emergency Relief Fund that is helping to provide shelter, nutrition and supplies to refugees in need. This fund is among other fundraising efforts that Salesians in more than 130 countries are doing in support of Salesians on the front lines of this crisis.

Source: https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-salesians-support-more-100-projects-people-impacted-war

HOLY FATHER ON UKRAINE

General Audience - March 8, 2023

Il mio pensiero va infine, come di consueto ai malati, agli anziani, agli sposi novelli e ai giovani, in particolare agli studenti del Liceo di Paola e agli scolari di Monte Romano. In questi giorni di Quaresima, camminate ancor più coraggiosamente sulle orme di Cristo, cercando di imitarne l’umiltà e la fedeltà alla volontà divina. E, per favore, cari fratelli e sorelle, non dimentichiamo il dolore del martoriato popolo ucraino, soffre tanto… abbiamolo sempre presente nei nostri cuori e nelle nostre preghiere.

Links to the full text in ITALIAN

Angelus - March 12, 2023

This Friday, 17 March, and Saturday, the 18th, the “24 Hours for the Lord” initiative will be repeated throughout the entire Church. This is a time dedicated to prayer, to adoration, and to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. On Friday afternoon, I will go to a parish in Rome for the Penance Celebration. A year ago, in this context, we accomplished the solemn Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, invoking the gift of peace. Our act of entrusting does not falter, our hope does waver! The Lord always listens to the prayers that his people address to him through the intercession of the Virgin Mother. Let us remain united in faith and solidarity with our brothers and sisters who suffer because of the war. Let us especially not forget the battered people of Ukraine!

Venerdì prossimo 17 marzo e sabato 18 si rinnoverà in tutta la Chiesa l’iniziativa “24 ore per il Signore”: un tempo dedicato alla preghiera di adorazione e al sacramento della Riconciliazione. Nel pomeriggio di venerdì mi recherò in una parrocchia romana per la Celebrazione penitenziale. Un anno fa, in tale contesto, abbiamo compiuto il solenne Atto di Consacrazione al Cuore Immacolato di Maria, invocando il dono della pace. Il nostro affidamento non venga meno, non vacilli la speranza! Il Signore ascolta sempre le suppliche che il suo popolo gli rivolge per intercessione della Vergine Madre. Rimaniamo uniti nella fede e nella solidarietà con i nostri fratelli che soffrono a causa della guerra; soprattutto non dimentichiamo il martoriato popolo ucraino!

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