Weekly Update #68
June 19
June 19
REFUGEE SITUATION
(as of 6 June 2023)
General Figures
Refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe
5,935,300
Last updated June 6 2023
Refugees from Ukraine recorded beyond Europe
344,700
Last updated June 6 2023
Refugees from Ukraine recorded globally
6,280,000
Last updated June 6 2023
Source: UNHCR Operational Data Portal
STATUS OF THE CONFLICT
(as of 9 June 2023)
Impact of the flooding
The fast depletion of the Kakhovka Reservoir, caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam during the early hours of 6 June, is leading to a grim situation in southern Ukraine, where tens of thousands of people have already lost access to piped water, mainly in Dnipropetrovska oblast. The reservoir – one of the largest in Europe and a source of drinking water to at least 700,000 people – has reportedly decreased by 70 per cent of its capacity, according to Ukrainian too authorities. The width of the reservoir decreased from 3 to 1 kilometres, and the water level is now at around 7 metres, below the threshold of 12 metres when it stops working as a water reservoir. Large urban areas in Dnipropetrovska oblast, including Pokrovska, Nikopolska and Marhanetska, are completely cut off from centralized water, and others like Apostolivska and Zelenodolska have extremely limited access. This has left nearly 210,000 people in this area alone in urgent need of life-saving water, according to estimates from the United Nations and its humanitarian partners.
Most of the villages and towns in the southern part of Dnipropetrovska oblast facing severe water shortage had an already fragile humanitarian situation, with thousands of people – including older people and thousands displaced by the war – dependent on aid to meet their vital needs. Apostolivska hromada, for example, where piped water has been severely limited since mid-June, is home to 28,000 civilians, including 700 children, nearly 3,000 internally displaced people and almost 1,000 people with disabilities. In the neighbouring Zelenodolska hromada, 30 per cent of the 15,000 people who live there are older people. The community also hosts around 1,400 people uprooted by the war, including around 100 civilians who had to leave flooded areas of Khersonska oblast a few days ago. In all these areas, support with water, hygiene items, and food, also in addition to accommodation, shelter and vital household items, will be crucial to prevent a worsening humanitarian crisis.
In Khersonska oblast, flooded areas have apparently reduced from 620 km2 on 9 June to 180 km2 as of 13 June, according to a preliminary analysis of satellite imagery released by the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT). Villages and towns that had been under water for several days, like Oleshky and Hola Prystan, in areas currently under Russian control, appeared to be mostly dry on 13 June, according to the images captured by UNOSAT. Oleshky was 63 per cent (~10 km2) flooded on 9 June, with nearly 8,000 houses underwater, according to preliminary analysis from UNOSAT.
The massive flooding caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam had continued to recede since 13 June, when imagery was taken, with water levels dropping by 3-5 centimetres every hour, according to the estimates of Ukrainian authorities. In Kherson city on 15 June, the floodwater level was just above 1.6 metres in areas under Ukrainian control, down from 2 metres two days before and the 5.6-metre peak recorded on 8 June. The number of villages and towns affected by flooding reduced from 46 to 13 in the Ukrainian-controlled areas of Khersonska oblast, where about 1,800 houses are still flooded, down from 3,500 a couple of days ago, according to the Ukrainian Government. In Mykolaivska oblast, no towns are flooded, compared to 31 on 13 June. On the other side of the front line, which is under the military control of the Russian Federation, information is limited, but according to Russian-installed authorities, the town of Nova Kakhovka and the village of Korsunka are no longer flooded.
Although the number of additional people being forced to leave their homes each day has decreased, ten days after the disaster, the Ukrainian Government reported some evacuations of civilians on both banks of the Dnipro River are still taking place. In total, nearly 3,000 people had been evacuated, including about 300 children, by the end of 15 June.
The receding floodwater will likely create new challenges for people already facing humanitarian needs in Ukraine. Although assessments are planned over the coming weeks, the UN and the Government warned of the likelihood of long-term impact on food production and food security, increased risks of mine and other explosive accidents, in addition to the soaring needs and health risks created by the destruction of water systems.
Source: OCHA Flash Update #7
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Fighting continues
Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations in at least three directions and reportedly made gains on June 15. Ukrainian General Staff Spokesperson reported that Ukrainian forces conducted successful offensive operations north and northwest of Bakhmut.
Ukraine’s Tavrisk Group of Forces Press Center reported that Ukrainian forces advanced up to one kilometer in western Donetsk Oblast and are continuing attempts to improve their tactical positions near Vuhledar (30km southwest of Donetsk City). Russian information claimed that Ukrainian troops unsuccessfully attacked southwest and south of Orikhiv in western Zaporizhia Oblast and claimed that Ukrainian forces are increasing the tempo of counteroffensive operations in the area due to improved weather conditions.
The Ukrainian military reported that Ukrainian forces have advanced up to 3km near Mala Tokmachka in western Zaporizhia Oblast and up to 7km near Velyka Novosilka in western Donetsk Oblast and have liberated seven settlements in those areas since beginning counteroffensive operations. Advisor to the Ukrainian Presidential Office, however, stated on June 15 that Ukrainian forces have yet to launch counteroffensives “as such” but acknowledged that Ukrainian forces are conducting offensive actions, a likely clarification that Ukrainian forces have not yet begun their main effort.
Russian forces conducted another series of drone and missile strikes across Ukraine early in the morning of June 15. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that between 00:20 and 04:30 local time on June 15, Russian forces launched four Kh-101/555 cruise missiles from four Tu-95 strategic bombers from over the Caspian Sea and 20 Shahed-typed drones from the northern and southern directions. Ukrainian military sources reported that Ukrainian air defenses shot down one of the cruise missiles and all 20 Shaheds.
Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov deployed Chechen “Akhmat” special forces to border areas in Belgorod Oblast, likely as part of a continued effort to align himself with the Russian Ministry of Defense. Kadyrov emphasized that the Akhmat forces will work in tandem with other Russian forces to defend Belgorod Oblast and residents of other border areas. Kadyrov likely aims to posture himself and Chechen forces as cooperating with the MoD, directly contrasting with Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin, who previously threatened to deploy Wagner forces to Belgorod Oblast without permission from the Russian MoD or the Russian military command. Kadyrov has also taken advantage of the frequent Russian information-space discourse about Belgorod Oblast to posture himself as an effective and cooperative military leader without having to commit all Chechen forces to an attritive offensive or defense effort.
Western states may provide F-16 fighter aircraft and additional Leopard tanks to Ukraine in the coming months. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on June 15 that Ukrainian pilots are already training on F-16 aircraft, allowing Western states to provide F-16s to Ukraine on an unspecified timeline. The first of two chambers of the Swiss National Council voted on June 14 to decommission 25 Leopard-2 tanks and send the tanks back to Germany, which would then export the tanks to Ukraine.
Nova Kakhovka dam probe: It is “highly likely” the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region was caused by Russia, a team of international legal experts assisting Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General said, according to the preliminary findings of their investigation released on Friday. Last week's collapse of the dam is one of the biggest industrial and ecological disasters in Europe in decades.
On the battlefield: Ukraine's military says there has been very heavy fighting along the southern front, and both sides allege inflicting significant losses.
Ukrainian units are consolidating advances around the southern cities of Melitopol, Berdiansk and Mariupol, their three main targets in the southern offensive, military spokesperson Valerii Shershen said. But he estimated Ukraine's gains in the region were limited to small distances of a kilometer or less.
In the east, Ukrainian troops have made some progress around the embattled town of Vuhledar and the long-contested city of Bakhmut, officials said. Russian air strikes and artillery barrages are currently the main issues faced by Ukrainian forces as they keep pushing forward in southern and eastern Ukraine.
Sources: ISW (June 15 Update)
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UN atomic watchdog chief visits Ukraine nuclear plant threatened by war with Russia
The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog visited Europe’s largest atomic power plant Thursday in southern Ukraine, where a recent dam burst and the start of a counteroffensive in the war by Kyiv’s forces have heightened safety risks.
The visit was announced by Ukraine’s national nuclear energy company, Energoatom, in a Telegram post.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agency chief, met Tuesday in Kyiv with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss concerns about the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
The IAEA has repeatedly expressed alarm about the facility, which is one of the 10 biggest in the world, amid fears of a potential nuclear catastrophe. The agency has officials stationed at the plant, which is still run by its Ukrainian staff.
Last week, the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine’s partially Russian-occupied Kherson region added a new concern. The dam, further down the Dnieper River, helped keep water in a reservoir that cools the plant’s reactors.
The plant’s six reactors have been shut down for months, but it still needs power and qualified staff to operate crucial cooling systems and other safety features.
Ukraine recently said it hoped to place the last functioning reactor in cold shutdown. The process inserts control rods into the reactor core to stop the nuclear fission reaction and the generation of heat and pressure.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that areas of the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line in Ukraine are witnessing “fierce fighting” after Kyiv’s long-anticipated launch of its counteroffensive using Western-supplied weapons.
Russian forces are keeping up their aerial attacks on Ukraine. They launched four cruise missiles and 20 Iranian Sahed exploding drones overnight, the Ukrainian air force said. Ukrainian air defenses downed all the drones and one cruise missile, it said. Cities that were hit included Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s hometown, downtown Kherson city, Kharkiv and Odesa, but regional authorities said they were all shot down.
Source: AP News
THE HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
Humanitarian aid to flooded areas
The United Nations and its partners continued, over the past 48 hours, efforts to deliver much-needed assistance to people impacted by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, using different modalities. Overall, and during the 11 days since the disaster, the UN and its partners, with the support of the Logistics Cluster, delivered 10 inter-agency humanitarian convoys to Khersonska and Dnipropetrovska oblasts, with 41 truckloads and four boats of critical humanitarian assistance. This modality of response, which allows comprehensive packages of assistance to areas facing urgent needs, is complemented by the regular assistance provided by each UN agency and NGOs separately.
The latest convoy took place on 16 June, with assistance provided by boat to the most vulnerable of over 1,200 civilians living in Inhulets, a rural town located about 15 kilometres from the front line, in Khersonska oblast. Coordinated by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), with the support of the Logistics Cluster and the NGO Angels of Salvation, it was the first humanitarian convoy delivered by boat in Ukraine. During the mission, UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) delivered nearly 1,000 litres of water and 150 rations of food, enough for a month.
The day before, humanitarians sent four truckloads of vital humanitarian assistance to support nearly 1,700 civilians, including 200 directly affected by the flooding, in Kalynivska hromada, also in Khersonska oblast.
In Dnipropetrovska oblast on 15 June, humanitarians provided eight truckloads of critical humanitarian assistance to about 4,000 residents of Apostolivska and Zelenodolska hromadas. The convoy included food baskets for 1,400 families, which cover the food needs for a month, together with water, jerrycans, household kits, hygiene kits, drugs, disinfectants and tarpaulin sheet for 1,200 damaged homes. WFP, UNICEF, WHO, UNHCR, IOM, and INGO World Vision International supported the convoy with critical assistance for the people affected by the dramatic drop in the water level of the Kakhovka Reservoir.
Across all affected areas, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster partners have provided access to water for nearly 200,000 people, including through the delivery of about 1.2 million litres of bottled water. This included about 820,000 litres of bottled water to Khersonska oblast, 190,000 litres to Mykolaivska oblast, about 150,000 litres to Dnipropetrovska oblast and about 20,000 litres to Zaporizka oblast.
The Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster partners, particularly WFP, delivered nearly 130,000 five-day rations of ready-to-eat food and about 10,500 30-day food rations in Khersonska and Mykolaivska oblasts since 6 June.
As of 16 June, at least 14 partners of the Cash Working Group (CWG) have committed to cover all people affected by the flood, estimated at 40,000 people by Ukraine’s Government. Almost 26,600 people have been registered, and an estimated 5,800 have received multi-purpose cash assistance across all affected oblasts.
At least 49 partners of the Health Cluster are actively implementing several life-saving health interventions, including support to primary health care via mobile teams, mental health and psychosocial support and Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) activities, support to patients’ evacuation from health facilities, bottled water distribution in the affected oblasts of Khersonska, Mykolaivska, Dnipropetrovska and Zaporizka oblasts. At least 15 partners are providing mental health and psychosocial support in hard hit areas of Khersonska, Mykolaivska, Odeska, Zaporizka, and Dnipropetrovska oblasts. Additionally, IOM delivered 200 health information, education and communication materials to the residents of Khersonska and Mykolaivska oblasts.
The Mine Action Cluster partners, particularly the Mine Advisory Group, reached nearly 2 million people with digital explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) on Facebook and YouTube by 16 June. Another cluster’s partner – HALO Trust – has reportedly provided 45 awareness sessions in Mykolaiv, reaching nearly 300 newly displaced people and distributing 1,000 information flyers while delivering humanitarian assistance.
Nine Protection Cluster partners are providing first psychological aid, protection counselling and legal assistance to restore documentation in 14 collective sites and evacuation points in the bus and train stations in Khersonska and Mykolaivska oblasts. These partners, such as NGOs The Tenth of April, Mission Proliska, extended a range of services including protection monitoring, evacuation to transit hubs, emergency cash assistance, legal consultation, and psychosocial support.
The Shelter and Non-Food-Items Cluster partners, including UNHCR and other partners, have provided over 28,000 vital items to address the urgent needs of people affected by flooding in Khersonska and Dnipropetrovska oblasts. This assistance includes over 18,000 jerrycans, 3,900 solar lamps, and 5,500 tarpaulin sheets, among other items. In total, over 80,000 non-food items have been released from UNHCR’s warehouses to respond to the needs of the affected people. IOM delivered emergency shelter kits to repair 300 houses damaged by the flooding in Khersonska oblast. Additionally, IOM delivered nearly 7,000 items of necessities, such as bedding kits, mattresses and kitchen sets, to the affected communities in Mykolaivska oblast. The INGO People in Need supported families who arrived at the Lviv railway station fleeing shelling and flooding and provided each evacuee with a travel kit with food and hygiene items as essential necessities for people on the move.
Source: UNOCHA
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Missiles target Kyiv as visiting African leaders push Ukraine and Russia for peace and grain
A delegation of leaders and senior officials from Africa sought in Ukraine on Friday ways to end the country’s full-scale war with Russia and ensure food and fertilizer deliveries to their continent, though an air raid in Kyiv during their stay provided a reminder of the challenges they face.
The delegation, which included the presidents of South Africa, Senegal, Zambia and Comoros, first went to Bucha, a Kyiv suburb where bodies of civilians lay scattered in the streets last year after Russian troops abandoned a campaign to seize the capital and withdrew from the area.The delegation’s stop in Bucha was symbolically significant, as the town has come to stand for the brutality of Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Russian occupation of Bucha left hundreds of civilians dead in the streets and in mass graves. Some showed signs of torture.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said last month that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to separate meetings with members of an African peace mission.
The delegation was set to travel to St. Petersburg later Friday, where Russia’s top international economic conference is taking place, and meet with Putin on Saturday. It also includes senior officials from Uganda, Egypt and Congo-Brazzaville.
The members of the delegation represent a cross-section of African views about the war. South Africa, Senegal and Uganda have avoided censuring Moscow for the conflict, while Egypt, Zambia and Comoros voted against Russia last year in a U.N. General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s invasion. Many African nations have long had close ties with Moscow, dating back to the Cold War when the Soviet Union supported their anti-colonial struggles.
Ramaphosa presented a ten-point peace plan on June 16 calling for an end to hostilities and a negotiated peace settlement that would respect sovereignty and establish security guarantees for both Ukraine and Russia. The proposal also calls for securing the movement of grain and fertilizers from both Ukraine and Russia and closer cooperation with African states.
Putin stated that the Kremlin welcomes the African states’ “balanced” approach to resolving the war in Ukraine in his meeting with the delegation, but did not comment on the feasibility of Ramaphosa’s suggested peace plan. President of Comoros and current African Union Chairperson Azali Asoumani notably used language similar to the Kremlin’s preferred ”Russian world” rhetoric about the war in Ukraine while meeting with Putin, stating that stability in Eastern Europe, Africa, and the world depends on fraternal relationships between neighboring Slavic “friendly nations.”
Asoumani also highlighted that peace in Ukraine is important for addressing international food and energy security. Asoumani’s comments and the peace plan’s inclusion of grain shipment guarantees suggest the states involved in the proposal view resolving the economic fallout from the war in Ukraine as their paramount concern. The delegation likely seeks to balance Ukraine and Russia to maintain longstanding bilateral relationships with Russia without fully tying themselves diplomatically to the Kremlin’s war.
While in Bucha, the visitors placed commemorative candles at a small memorial outside St. Andrew’s Church, near one of the locations where a mass grave was unearthed.
Shortly after, air raid sirens began to wail in Ukraine’s capital. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported an explosion in the Podilskiy district, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods.
Germany will deliver another 64 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Friday, to help shield it against Russia’s relentless aerial attacks.
Officials who helped lay the groundwork for the delegation’s talks said the African leaders not only aimed to initiate a peace process but also to assess how Russia, which is under heavy international sanctions, can be paid for fertilizer exports that Africa desperately needs.
Source: AP News
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Update on the human rights situation in Ukraine (1 February — 30 April 2023
This new update focuses on key human rights developments in Ukraine, including in territory occupied by the Russian Federation. It covers the period from 1 February to 30 April 2023. OHCHR’s regular biannual report, covering the period from 1 February to 31 July 2023, will be published in September 2023.
Although civilian casualties have decreased compared with the previous three months, intense fighting along the frontline, as well as the high concentration of explosive remnants of war in areas over which the Government of Ukraine regained control in the autumn of 2023, continued to inflict a heavy toll on the civilian population.
Some notable human rights violations documented by the Human Rights Monitoring Unit include:
Russian passport obligation: On 27 April 2023, the President of the Russian Federation signed a decree purporting to provide that people residing in the occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk regions would retroactively be considered “foreigners” as of 30 September 2022, unless they had obtained Russian citizenship. While the decree does not impose Russian citizenship, it obliges Ukrainian citizens who reside in occupied territory to comply with a number of requirements that may put pressure on them to apply for Russian passports. It further exposes certain categories of residents to risks of deportation or forcible transfers.
Incidents of violence against members and supporters of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (“UOC”) increased during the reporting period. Moreover, several regional councils banned the activities of the UOC. During the reporting period, the Government and local authorities took several measures targeting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). Authorities notably searched places of worship and other UOC facilities,12 issued notices of suspicions against clergymen, and placed several of them under house arrest, including one of the UOC’s main hierarchs.13 In addition, the Ministry of Culture terminated early the rental agreement with the UOC of the State-owned Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. Following UN advocacy, authorities refrained from taking actions that risked violence and did not forcibly evict the UOC from the Lavra.
Forcible transfers of deportations: Between October and November 2022, at least 294 residents, including 28 children, were transferred from long-term care facilities located in the occupied areas of Kherson region to other parts of Russian-occupied territory or deported to the Russian Federation. The individuals have since faced difficulties reuniting with their loved ones, including lack of financial means or other necessary assistance to undertake lengthy travel, as well as restrictions on their freedom of movement. In some cases, Russian authorities withheld their identity documents or did not allow them to leave the facilities to which they had been transferred. Children in institutional care were transferred by Russian occupation authorities to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, occupied by the Russian Federation (“Crimea”) without the consent of their parents, or without the parents being informed.
Summary executions of prisoners of war: The summary execution of POWs, ordering such executions, and the declaration of no quarter amount to grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and constitute war crimes. The head of the Wagner Group indicated that his military and security contractors would kill all combatants and no longer take POWs on the battlefield, raising alarm that such statements in fact risk provoking or encouraging the summary executions of POWs.
Source: OHCHR
STATEMENT BY THE HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR UKRAINE ON HUMANITARIAN ACCESS TO AREAS UNDER RUSSIAN CONTROL
18 June 2023
The United Nations has been engaging with the Governments of Ukraine and the Russian Federation regarding effective delivery of humanitarian aid to all people affected by the devastating destruction of the Kakhovka Dam.
The Government of the Russian Federation has so far declined our request to access the areas under its temporary military control. The UN will continue to engage to seek the necessary access. We urge the Russian authorities to act in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law.
Aid cannot be denied to people who need it.
The UN will continue to do all it can to reach all people – including those suffering as a result of the recent dam destruction – who urgently need life-saving assistance, no matter where they are.
Source: United Nations
Ukraine - Perceptions of localisation in the humanitarian response
An international nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that conducts interdependent humanitarian analysis – ACAPS – explored the status of localization efforts in the humanitarian response in Ukraine.
ACAPS reviewed 47 secondary data sources, including monthly datasets from Stabilisation Support Services, and conducted 48 interviews with staff working for 14 INGOs, 10 NNGOs, and 4 UN agencies. The research team also interviewed three representatives from coordination and funding mechanisms, five cluster representatives, two donors, and ten Ukrainian NGOs. The review was conducted between February – March 2023.
Key Findings
No two organisations surveyed (UN agencies, INGOs, or NGOs) gave the same definition of what localisation is or what it should look like in Ukraine, and some definitions provided contradicted each other. Because there is ambiguity about what localisation means in practice, there are misunderstandings and unmet expectations among both international and local responders.
Out of the 12 INGOs that shared their financial information with ACAPS, 4 indicated that they allocated less than 10% of their budgets to national responders, 4 allocated between 10–20% of their budgets to national and local NGOs, and 2 allocated more than 90% of their funding to NNGOs. No UN agency approached for this survey shared concrete numbers of how much money they allocated for Ukrainian partners. This lack of data remains the main challenge in analysing how funding is distributed in the Ukraine response.
The majority of partnerships between Ukrainian and international responders are formalised through subcontracting agreements, where local organisations implement activities on behalf of INGOs or UN agencies. While there is huge variation in the number of local partners (from 1 to 400) reported by the UN and INGOs, most INGO respondents noted that local counterparts implemented at least 40% of their activities.
Donors expect aid to be delivered to hard-to-reach areas, including remote villages, along the front lines, and in non-government-controlled areas (NGCAs). For INGOs, the dilemma is their limited capacity and lack of local knowledge or their own security protocols limiting their access to these areas. As a result, they have to rely on partnerships with local Ukrainian organisations, with the majority of assistance reaching affected communities through informal networks and community groups, mostly staffed by volunteers who have a higher risk tolerance than international responders.
While there are extensive humanitarian coordination structures in Ukraine, discussions with both local and international organisations revealed that coordination remains one of the main challenges in mounting an effective humanitarian response in the country. There are a few NNGOs represented in big coordination forums, but there is not enough representation of smaller, more agile local groups, organisations, or volunteers.
Source: ACAPS
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Emergency convoy leaves UK with vital flood equipment for Ukraine
An emergency convoy of lorries carrying donated flood equipment has left the UK for Ukraine, following the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam.
Equipment donated by the Environment Agency will offer a significant capability to pump water out of flooded areas and protect from further flooding in Southern Ukraine. Alongside, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is leading a major relief programme in the area following the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and considerable amounts of flood water causing danger to life.
Donated equipment includes three high volume pumps, six mobile pumps that can be used to pump water out of affected areas, and 15km of temporary barriers, which can be used to deflect water and protect critical infrastructure. Environment Agency high volume pumps have the capacity to remove 1750 litres per second from affected sites.
Earlier this week, an additional convoy of life-saving equipment set off from Ashford in Kent, organised by the Home Office, the National Fire Chiefs’ Council and supported by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
The convoy, which left from Kent Fire and Rescue Service, included 19 rescue boats and more than 2,000 items of flood recovery equipment including helmets, life jackets, throw lines and pumps. It is expected to arrive in L’viv, Ukraine, in the coming days.
The UK is also set to host the Ukraine Recovery Conference later this month, which will bring together governments and industry leaders to develop a concerted multi-sector plan to help Ukraine to recover from Russia’s illegal invasion.
Source: UK Government
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Update on the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI)
Nearly one month has passed since the latest 60-day extension of the Black Sea Grain initiative on 17 May. WFP considers the continuation of food exports from Ukraine remains of utmost importance, as grain represents most of the traditional food basket globally. Without it, severe challenges are expected to supply affordable grain to communities in countries facing acute food insecurity. Thus, it continues to ensure the that the Black Sea Grain Initiative remains active.
Short BSGI extensions are raising concerns as lack of certainty presents longer-term implications for the agricultural sector; limited agricultural investments can be activated and farmers are discouraged from planting.
The latest vessel movement was on 14 May; MV Deniz M left the Odesa port carrying 30,000 mt of wheat for Sudan. Another WFP vessel, MV Manta Hacer is currently being loaded with 30,000 mt of wheat for Sudan at the port of Odesa.
To date, 21 WFP-chartered vessels transported over 625,000 mt of wheat through various Black Sea ports supporting Ethiopia (42%), Yemen (24%), Afghanistan (21%), Sudan (5%), Somalia (4%) and Kenya (4%).
As the future of BSGI remains unclear beyond the next extension deadline of 18 July, WFP continues to explore alternative corridors via the Danube River as part of contingency planning. Prior to the BSGI, WFP transported total 90,000 mt of wheat through this port.
According to the latest operational figures published by the Joint Coordination Centre, as of 13 June, the total tonnage of grain and other foodstuffs exported from the three Ukrainian ports is 31,556,982 mt. Of this amount 8.7 million mt is wheat representing 28 percent of the total amount and ranking as the second most exported commodity, just after corn, which represents 51 percent of the total exported.
Source: WFP
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UNICEF delivers nearly 157,000 doses of inactivated polio vaccine
On June 15, UNICEF delivered 156,960 doses of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) to support Ukraine’s National Immunization Programme to protect children across Ukraine from the deadly disease
In April this year, UNICEF delivered 543,000 doses of oral polio vaccine (OPV) and 110,160 doses of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) to protect Ukrainian children.
Ukraine adequately responded to the polio outbreak at the end of 2021 and, despite the challenges of wartime, provided the necessary polio control and vaccination measures as part of the Action Plan for the Outbreak of Circulating Vaccine-Related Poliovirus Type 2. However, the threat of polio spread remains and has even increased due to the war, as at least 144,000 more vaccinations as part of the forced immunization campaign to vaccinate children against IPV polio have not been completed.
In 2022, to support immunization in Ukraine, UNICEF procured over 2 million doses of vaccines (polio vaccine, oral polio vaccine, Hepatitis B, tetanus-diphtheria, diphtheria-tetanus, measles-mumps-rubella, BCG for tuberculosis, pentavalent vaccine, rabies) at the request of the Ministry of Health and National Health Service.
Over 650,000 doses of polio vaccine and 35,200 doses of combination vaccines against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) have already been delivered in 2023.
Furthermore, UNICEF bolstered the cold chain at all levels from national and regional stores to vaccination points with the following aid:
Under the COVAX initiative, purchased 26 freezers to be installed at the national and regional levels to strengthen the immunization chain.
Procured with World Bank funds Almost 5,200 vaccine refrigerators and freezers to ensure proper storage at vaccination points.
Procured 36 refrigerator vans for vaccine transportation from national to oblast and from Oblast to vaccination points.
Distributed vaccine carriers and cold boxes for vaccine storage and transportation for over 2,500 vaccination points and 800 mobile teams across Ukraine
Delivered almost 6.2 syringes in 2023.
Source: UNICEF
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ICRC Operational Highlights: Ukraine, January - May 2023
The International Committee of the Red Cross released a summary of its programs and services in Ukraine during the first 2 quarters. It included an update on our response to the floods following the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam.
Immediately following the destruction of the dam, ICRC distributed food and medical items to first responders, notably the Ukrainian Red Cross and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, on top of signs to mark areas contaminated with mines, unexploded ordnance and remnants of war which may have been moved by the water.
ICRC is currently focusing on ensuring that civilians in Kherson and surrounding areas have clean drinking water. ICRC teams immediately brought chlorination solution as well as large-capacity water pumps and tanks to help the Kherson water board protect their essential water and wastewater infrastructure.
A particular concern is the movement of the mines in the deluge. ICRC stresses the need to map the flooding and forecast where mines may end up, a task they are doing with local authorities and experts.
"Mines have been swept down in the deluge. We need to map the flooding and forecast where mines may end up, and this is what the ICRC is doing with local authorities and
Since the beginning of the 2023, the organization distributed 30,000 marking signs and 50,000 posters and leaflets on mine awareness. Over 10,000 people have attended training sessions on potential risks related to remnants of war and the safe behavior to adopt.
A core component of the ICRC response is the liaison with prisoners of war. The ICRC's Central Tracing Agency has been collecting information about prisoners of war from the Russian Federation and Ukraine. This information has provided more than 5,500 families with news about their missing loved ones.
Among those are more than 2,500 personal messages between POWs and their families that have been directly delivered along with Red Cross Red Crescent Movement partners.
An overview of the highlights of their work in 2023 is shown in the infographic.
Source: ICRC
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Ukraine Humanitarian Fund Status Update
The sudden destruction of the Khakovkha Dam has served as an additional component that the Humanitarian Fund and response must address. As this event was unforeseen, the need to provide additional funding for immediate requirements as well as for long-term infrastructural development poses real challenges in the Humanitarian Fund augmentation.
As of June 2023, only 25% of the Fund has been raised, as shown in the infograph.
Source: OCHA
HOLY FATHER ON UKRAINE
Regina Caeli - June 18, 2023
Let us persevere in prayer for the population of tormented Ukraine – let us not forget them! – who suffer greatly.
Perseveriamo nella preghiera per la popolazione della martoriata Ucraina – non dimentichiamola! – che soffre tanto.
Links to the full text in ITALIAN and ENGLISHIMAGES FROM CR4U MEMBERS
Through creative activities and therapeutic games, Malteser International supports the mental health of displaced children in Ukraine. (Photo: Malteser Ukraine)