Weekly Update #78
 August 28

REFUGEE SITUATION

(as of 23 August 2023)

General Figures


Refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe 

5,829,600

Last updated August 23 2023

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

367,000

Last updated August 5 2023

Covers those granted refugee status, temporary asylum status, temporary protection, or statuses through similar national protection schemes, as well as those recorded in the country under other forms of stay 


Refugees from Ukraine recorded globally

6,196,600

Last updated August 23 2023

 

Source: UNHCR collation of statistics made available by the authorities


STATUS OF THE CONFLICT

Continuing conflict

Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations near Robotyne in western Zaporizhia Oblast on August 25 and reportedly advanced as concern was expressed by Russian forces over a lack of reinforcements and troop rotations in the area. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces achieved unspecified successes in the directions of the Novodanylivka-Novopokropivka (5-13km south of Orikhiv) line and the Mala Tokmachka-Ocheretuvate (9-25km southeast of Orikhiv) line.

A Ukrainian commander fighting in the south said he believes Ukrainian forces have broken through the most difficult Russian defensive line and will now be able to advance more quickly.

The Institute on the Study of War says Ukraine's advance through Robotyne and its potential liberation will stop Russia using it as a base for counterattacks, making it easier for Ukrainian forces to launch offensive operations against the Russian secondary line of defence that runs south of Robotyne to the western outskirts of Verbove.

A successful advance through Russian defensive lines is likely to need a widening of the initial breach to stop Russian forces from cutting off Ukraine's attacking force, the analysts add.  Ukraine's forces are now believed to be within about 1.25 miles (2km) of Russia's secondary lines of defences - mainly comprising anti-tank ditches and obstacles known as dragon's teeth - and may be less heavily mined than some other areas. The series of defensive positions that Ukrainian forces are currently advancing through were comprised of dense layers of minefields and fortifications to which Russian forces committed considerable manpower, materiel, and effort to hold.


A preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment concluded that an intentional explosion caused the plane crash presumed to have killed a mercenary leader who was eulogized Thursday by Vladimir Putin, even as suspicions grew that the Russian president was the architect of the assassination.

One of the U.S. and Western officials who described the initial assessment said it determined that Yevgeny Prigozhin was “very likely” targeted and that the explosion falls in line with Putin’s “long history of trying to silence his critics.”

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment, did not offer any details about what caused the explosion, which was widely believed to be vengeance for the mutiny in June that posed the biggest challenge to the Russian leader’s 23-year rule. Several of Prigozhin’s lieutenants were also presumed dead.


Ukraine has claimed its troops briefly landed overnight in the occupied Crimea peninsula, as the country marks 32 years of its independence.

All objectives of the "special operation" were achieved without any casualties, the defence ministry said.  It added that during a firefight in Olenivka and Mayak, western Crimea, "the enemy suffered losses".


Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, eight years before Moscow launched a full-scale invasion.  The Kremlin has so far made no public comments on the reported Ukrainian operation. Ukraine's claim of landing its troops in Crimea came a day after it emerged that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the mercenary group that fought with Russia in the war, was on the passenger list of a private jet that crashed after taking off from Moscow.


Sources: Al Jazeera

ISW (August 25)

ISW (August 26)

BBC

AP News


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Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy meets with Balkan leaders in Athens

Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelenskyy met Tuesday with leaders of Balkan nations and the head of the European Commission on the sidelines of a meeting between European and Balkan leaders in the Greek capital.

The leaders included Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, whose country has refused to join the international sanctions imposed on its traditional ally Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

 

It was the first time Zelenskyy, who arrived in Athens on Monday afternoon, met with Vucic since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.

 

The Serbian president, whose country seeks EU membership, said he “managed to ensure” that a formal declaration issued after Monday’s meeting in Athens of the Balkan leaders does not include a text on sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

 

While in Athens, Zelenskyy also met with Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, the president of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovachevski and the prime minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic.


Source: AP News

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Denmark and Netherlands pledge to give F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as Zelenskyy visits

 

The Netherlands and Denmark announced Sunday they will give F-16 warplanes to Ukraine, a long-awaited announcement that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an important motivation for his country’s forces, embroiled in a difficult counteroffensive against Russia.

 

The promise of new fighter jets came the day after an unusually brazen Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian theater that killed seven people and wounded almost 150 others in the northern city of Chernihiv. Zelenskyy vowed stern retaliation for the attack, whose victims included a slain 6-year-old girl dead and 15 wounded children.

 

After months of entreaties from Zelenskyy for F-16s to bolster the Ukrainian air force, the U.S. recently gave approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to provide Ukraine the American-made jets. Zelenskyy travelled to both countries Sunday to finalize the delivery deals.

 

Ukraine hopes the jets will give it a combat edge, after launching a counteroffensive against the Kremlin’s forces without air cover from Western aircraft, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen pledged 19 F-16s to Ukraine and said she hoped the first six could be handed over around New Year. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte didn’t provide a number or timeframe, saying it depends on how soon Ukrainian crews and infrastructure are ready. Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel that Ukraine would get 42 jets.


Source: AP News

THE HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE


Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine to Conduct Mission to the Country

Members of the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine will undertake their third visit to the country from 28 August to 4 September 2023.


The Commissioners will visit several locations in Ukraine, including Uman in Cherkasy region and Kyiv, as part of their ongoing fact-finding mission to investigate alleged human rights violations and abuses, and international humanitarian law violations and to meet with victims and witnesses.

The three Commissioners taking part in the mission - Erik Møse (Chair), Pablo de Greiff and Vrinda Grover - are expected to meet government officials, including key ministers, members of civil society, representatives of United Nations agencies, international organisations, and the diplomatic corps to discuss the situation in the country. 

The Commissioners will hold a press conference towards the conclusion of their mission.

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine is an independent body mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to, among other things, investigate all alleged violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, and related crimes in the context of the aggression against Ukraine by the Russian Federation.

Its aim is to establish the facts, circumstances and root causes of any such violations and abuses; and to collect, consolidate and analyse evidence of such violations and abuses, including their gender dimension, in view of any future legal proceedings. The Commission will submit reports of its activities to the General Assembly in October 2023, and to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2023.

Source: UN HRC

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Deportation, Treatment of Ukraine’s Children by Russian Federation Takes Centre Stage by Many Delegates at Security Council Briefing

 

The United Nations remains committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity amidst indefensible attacks on civilians and infrastructure, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, as speakers took stock of the war’s impact on Ukraine’s children on the thirty-second anniversary of that country’s independence.

 

The Under Secretary for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs detailed Detailing Russian Federation attacks against Ukraine’s ports, cultural heritage and civilian infrastructure.   She expressed regret that the UN still does not have the necessary access to verify allegations of violations against children in the territory of Ukraine under Moscow’s control or in the Russian Federation itself

 

Kateryna Rashevska, legal expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights, then reported that Russian Federation agents have taken at least 19,546 children to that country from Ukraine since 18 February 2022. She cited this as “a violation of Article 49 of the fourth Geneva Convention and a war crime.

 

She noted the transfer of at least 7,116 children to recreation camps in 2023 — some facilities being 9,000 kilometers away from their original homes. Due to the lack of access to these territories, confirming or denying the return of Ukrainian children home is impossible. She further cited additional checks at the border, long-term interrogations by representatives of Russian Federation law enforcement, the requirement to obtain Russian citizenship, forced nudity and polygraph examinations. 

 

The representative of the Russian Federation declared that the war was “initiated by the “Kyiv regime” against its own Russian-speaking citizens in 2014 and that Russia was “compelled to come to the defence of women, children”. Ukraine’s representative, however, stressed that the Russian Federation has pursued a policy of mass abduction and forceful indoctrination of Ukrainian children since 2014.


Source: UN SC

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The Government of Ukraine signs plan to end and prevent grave violations against children, with the support of the United Nations

 

The impact of grave violations against children in Ukraine continues to be of serious concern, particularly the high number of children killed and maimed and attacks on schools and hospitals.

 

Following the call made by the Secretary-General in his latest report on children and armed conflict (A/77/895-S/2023/363), the Government of Ukraine signed a joint prevention plan with the United Nations to end and prevent grave violations against children. The Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict witnessed today the commitments previously signed by the Government of Ukraine and the United Nations on 18 August 2023.

 

“A prevention plan is a key tool to protect children from the ravages of war. We have seen too much suffering and death in Ukraine, and I am encouraged that the Government of Ukraine has taken this decisive step to enhance the protection of children. The United Nations stands ready to support Ukraine in this task.” said Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

 

This joint prevention plan is a voluntary written commitment covering each of the six grave violations and includes prevention measures to protect children and further strengthen the existing child protection framework in Ukraine. This signature is a further positive step in the protection of children and the United Nations remains committed to support the Government of Ukraine to implement the plan.”


Source: The United Nations

 

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Restoring entire communities in Mykolaiv

 

In the aftermath of the destruction caused by the ongoing war, UNOPS and the government of Denmark are working with local partners to rebuild and revitalize entire neighbourhoods in southern Ukraine.

 

Mykolaiv City, like many others in Ukraine, has been deeply impacted by the war. According to a damage assessment by the EU, a total of 1,389 sites in Mykolaiv were damaged. The consequences of the destruction extend far beyond physical damages. The war has disrupted lives, fractured communities and undermined hopes of a prosperous future.

 

Funded by the government of Denmark, a UNOPS-implemented project will rebuild vital infrastructure and help rejuvenate communities in Mykolaiv.

 

The project will be delivered across three stages:


Source: UN OPS

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Restored bomb shelter in central Kyiv opens with EU and EIB support 

 

A new bomb shelter opened today in Kyiv at 3 Lyuteranska Street after extensive reconstruction within the Ukraine Early Recovery Programme. The renovation was an initiative of the European Union and the European Investment Bank, in partnership with the Kyiv City State Administration (KMDA), and with the technical support of the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine (UNDP).

 

Kyiv has repeatedly been the target of missile and drone attacks since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Civilian infrastructure has been heavily impacted, resulting in a significant need for additional spaces where residents can seek refuge during incessant air raids.

 

The shelter spans 120 square meters and is equipped with beds, tables, power outlets, a kitchenette, washbasins, and restrooms. Its electrical, sewage, and water systems were revamped during the renovation. Ventilation, firefighting systems, and necessary furniture and equipment were installed per regulations. The shelter also boasts a backup power supply via a 6 kW inverter battery, a water purification system, potable water tanks, air filters, fire prevention measures, appliances like a TV, refrigerator, and microwave, and a dedicated children's corner.

 

UNDP in Ukraine managed the full cycle of the shelter renovation, from design to monitoring repair progress, at a cost of US$125,000. The overall cost of restoring the shelter was US$125,000, and was managed under the Ukraine Early Recovery Programme (UERP), financed through a EUR 200 million multi-sectoral framework loan from the European Investment Bank. The programme also benefits from €7 million in grants from the EU Neighbourhood Investment Platform and €8 million from the EU Delegation Bilateral Funds.


Source: UNDP

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New Zealand offers residency to people fleeing Ukraine war

New Zealand has announced a new pathway to residency for people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Permanent residency will be available to people who travel to New Zealand on the temporary Special Ukraine Visa before March 15 next year, Immigration Minister Andrew Little said on Saturday.

“Many of those who sought safety here in New Zealand would never have anticipated being here long term, but as war continues we have a humanitarian obligation to provide certainty to them.

“We’re making it as simple as possible to apply for the residence pathway.”

To maximise accessibility, applicants will not need to sit a language test, have access to suitable funds nor require sponsorship.

More than 1,500 Special Ukraine Visas have so far been granted since the special category was set up last year as part of the government’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Source: Barron's

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UNHCR and Donetsk Regional State Administration solidify strong cooperation to address the needs of displaced and war-affected people

  

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Donetsk Regional State Administration  signed a Memorandum of Understanding to solidify and expand their well-established cooperation to support people from Donetsk region and their communities impacted by the war. During the signing ceremony, both parties agreed to continue cooperation to address urgent humanitarian needs of war-affected people and expand efforts to support displaced people’s ability to return and recover and rebuild their homes and lives in Donetska oblast, which is one of the five most affected oblasts by the full-scale war.

 

To ensure live-saving assistance to people remaining in frontline areas of Donetska oblast, UNHCR, together with its partners, will continue delivering essential humanitarian items through convoys and emergency shelter kits, which help families quickly repair damaged windows and roofs.

 

Under the leadership of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, UNHCR will support social protection departments with equipment and capacity building to expand their ability to provide services to the growing number of war-affected people with vulnerabilities. UNHCR and its partners will also continue providing free legal aid to people who need help to replace destroyed or expired documents, psychosocial support to cope with the trauma caused by the war, and provide support with repairs of damaged homes and improvement of the living conditions in collective sites hosting displaced people from Donetska oblast.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, UNHCR and its NGO partners have reached over 342,000 people in Donetska oblast with protection services, cash assistance, non-food items, emergency shelter kits and housing repairs, and support to collective sites hosting internally displaced people. Another 38,000 IDPs from Donetsk region who were displaced to Dnipropetrovska, Zaporizka, Kharkivska and Poltavska oblast have been assisted by UNHCR and its local partner NGO Proliska, in humanitarian hubs established by the Donetska oblast authorities. This assistance includes beds, sleeping mats, blankets, mattresses, pillows, solar lamps, hygiene kits and kitchen sets.

Across Ukraine, UNHCR and its NGO partners reached over 4.3 million people in 2022 and over 1.86 million people so far in 2023 with protection services including free legal aid and psychosocial support, emergency shelter materials and housing repairs, support for collective centres hosting displaced people, and cash and in-kind humanitarian assistance.

Source: UNHCR

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Humanitarian organization delivers 1 billion dollars in donated medicines and supplies


The international non-profit organization based in the US, Direct Relief, has donated and delivered more than $1 billion in medicine and medical supplies to the people of Ukraine since Russia launched its war against its neighbor 18 months ago, a conflict that has driven 12 million Ukrainians from their homes, killed or injured more than 26,000 Ukrainian civilians and disrupted the nation’s health care systems.


The $1 billion milestone reached this month includes more than 292 million daily defined doses of prescription medicine for all kinds of conditions, including diabetes, infections, seizures, cancer, hypertension, psychological conditions, transplants and more, reaching millions of Ukrainians.


As Direct Relief operates without government funding, the $1 billion in donations comes entirely from private sources. (The U.S. government has provided $3.9 billion in humanitarian assistance since the war’s start.


In the city of Kremenchuk along the Dnieper River, the children’s hospital had received no new supplies from early February through April, when a large shipment of Direct Relief donations arrived, delivered by the Association Internationale de Coopération Médicale (AICM), Direct Relief’s core partner in the eastern Poltava region. The hospital was treating around 250 children, many of them suffering war wounds, when the supplies arrived.


An Odesa-based NGO, Ukrainian Soul, a partner of Direct Relief underscored the importance of this contribution in filling gaps in the supply of Ukrainian hospitals and other healthcare facilities caused by war.


For people with diabetes, Direct Relief has delivered 2.2 million bottles and vials of insulin, 3.7 million needles and syringes, and 4.1 million test strips. Direct Relief has been the largest humanitarian supplier of insulin to Ukraine since the war began.

The aid also has included large quantities of medical supplies ranging from battlefield tourniquets to diabetes test strips to prenatal vitamins.


The $1 billion total figure represents the wholesale value of the products delivered between Feb. 2022 and August 2023. Direct Relief has based the valuation on the wholesale costs of prescription medications in Europe, where prices for certain products are as much as 70% lower than comparable products sold in the United States.


In addition to the $1 billion in donated medicine and supplies, Direct Relief has committed $35 million in grants in financial support to local healthcare organizations providing care in Ukraine and others in countries, including Poland and Slovakia, that have opened their doors to Ukrainian refugees.


That funding has covered medication costs for more than 266,000 Ukrainian refugees in Poland, provided mental health care for close to 25,000 Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia, and funded rehabilitation programs focused on working with amputees, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and psychosocial support. Direct Relief is also providing funding to support Ukraine’s national system for distributing medicine around the country to the people who need it.


Direct Relief’s President and CEO acknowledged the generous support of people in 84 countries around the world, as well as from dozens of the world’s leading pharmaceutical makers to help the people of Ukraine during this war.


Source: Direct Relief

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UNICEF delivers neonatal ambulances for 20 perinatal centres in Ukraine

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has procured and delivered 20 neonatal ambulances for newborns to Ukraine in response to the initiative by the Office of the First Lady of Ukraine and the Ministry of Health. These ambulances are supplied with newborn intensive care equipment that provides emergency care to mothers and babies on the road.


In accepting this contribution, the First Lady of Ukraine emphasized that a quarter of a million babies were born during the war, with premature births increasing by 10%.  The wartime circumstances of these deliveries were wrought with stress and loss of life, with many infants born in bomb shelters.

With approximately 1,100 attacks on healthcare recorded by WHO, the ability of the Ukraine health system to ensure safe deliveries has been severely constrained.  The ambulances provided by UNICEF will allow healthcare workers to perform resuscitation, help babies with jaundice, and transport premature babies to medical facilities where they will receive highly specialized care.


The neonatal ambulances were purchased by UNICEF thanks to funds from the government of the Netherlands to support the implementation of the Early Childhood Development programme in Ukraine. The programme aims to realise the right of every Ukrainian child to a healthy start in life, reaching the needs of every child across the life cycle by interventions in health facilities and their homes through home-visiting interventions after discharge from maternities.

The equipment will be distributed to Vinnytska, Volynska, Dnipropetrovska, Zakarpatska, Ivano-Frankivska, Kyivska, Lvivska, Mykolaivska, Odeska, Poltavska, Rivnenska, Sumska, Ternopilska, Khmelnytska, Cherkaska and Chernivetska oblasts.

In 2022, UNICEF handed 15+ ambulances to children’s and maternity hospitals in Lviv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhya, Mykolayiv, and Chernivtsi.


Source: UNICEF

Life in Kyiv may seem normal on the surface, but a closer look reveals the burdens of war (special feature)

We feature an Associated Press article on life in Kyiv during war.  The photo-article shows how brave Ukrainians struggle to keep a “normal life”, but photos show deep pain and grief. Here are some photos, with more in the link below.

We are sharing this article and photos which are publicly available through AP News website, Working Group members should seek permission from AP News if they wish to use the  photos in any of their own publications.


Life in the capital of a war-torn country seems normal on the surface. In the mornings, people rush to their work holding cups of coffee. Streets are filled with cars, and in the evenings restaurants are packed. But the details tell another story.

Numerous buildings across Kyiv bear the scars of Russian bombardment. Sandbags are stacked around monuments, museums and office buildings to protect from possible attack. At nights, streets are empty after the midnight curfew comes into force.

In restaurants, diners chat about life, friends and jobs and discuss whether they liked the Barbie or Oppenheimer movie better, or which concert they might attend. But such conversations can suddenly turn to stories about burying loved ones, or how they hid during the most recent missile attack or how they adjusted their schedule to balance sleepless nights and the need to be productive at work.


A woman takes a nap on the lap of her husband on a bench at Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine  on Sunday, July 20,2023.


A group of recent high school graduates leap as they pose for photos to celebrate their graduation in Kyiv, Ukraine, July 3, 2023


A girl smiles while waiting for her cotton candy in Kyiv, Ukraine on July 6, 2023.


A woman takes a selfie with Banksy’s artwork on the wall of a building destroyed in Russian attacks in Borodyanka, Ukraine on Wednesday, August 2, 2023.


People wait for their food at a kiosk as dusk settles over Kyiv, Ukraine Monday, July 3, 2023.


In restaurants, diners chat about life, friends and jobs and discuss whether they liked the Barbie or Oppenheimer movie better, or which concert they might attend. But such conversations can suddenly turn to stories about burying loved ones, or how they hid during the most recent missile attack or how they adjusted their schedule to balance sleepless nights and the need to be productive at work.

Source: AP News

HOLY FATHER ON UKRAINE

Angelus - August 27, 2023 (Sunday)

I assure my remembrance in prayer of the victims of the fires that have broken out in recent days in north-eastern Greece, and I express my solidarity with the Greek people. And let us stay close to the Ukrainian people, who are suffering due to the war, and are suffering a lot: let us not forget Ukraine!

Assicuro il ricordo nella preghiera per le vittime degli incendi divampati in questi giorni nel nord-est della Grecia, ed esprimo solidale vicinanza al popolo greco. E restiamo sempre vicini anche al popolo ucraino, che soffre per la guerra, e soffre tanto: non dimentichiamo l’Ucraina!

Links to the full text in  ITALIAN and ENGLISH

General Audience - August 23, 2023

I now turn my thoughts to young people , to the sick , to the elderly and to newlyweds. May the example of the apostle Saint Bartholomew, whose feast day we will celebrate tomorrow, help you to be sincere witnesses of Jesus and to endure suffering with faith, thinking of the suffering endured by the apostles in the Gospel. To Saint Bartholomew’s intercession let us also entrust dear Ukraine, so harshly tried by war. Brothers and sisters, let us pray for our Ukrainian brothers and sisters: they are suffering a lot. War is cruel. So many missing children, so many people dead. Let us pray, please! Let us not forget battered Ukraine. Today is a significant day for their country.

[Saluto cordialmente i Polacchi. Fra qualche giorno celebrerete la solennità della Beata Vergine Maria di Częstochowa. Colei verso la quale i fedeli si recano in pellegrinaggio come alla casa della loro amata madre sia per voi un modello nell’ascoltare e nel meditare umilmente le parole di Gesù Cristo. Così testimonierete concretamente l’amore verso il prossimo, in particolare alla popolazione ucraina che soffre per la guerra. Vi benedico di cuore.]

Rivolgo ora un pensiero ai giovani, ai malati, agli anziani e agli sposi novelli. L’esempio dell’apostolo San Bartolomeo, la cui festa celebreremo domani, vi aiuti ad essere sinceri testimoni di Gesù e a sopportare con fede le sofferenze, pensando a quelle patite dagli apostoli del Vangelo. All’intercessione di San Bartolomeo affidiamo anche la cara Ucraina, così duramente provata dalla guerra. Fratelli e sorelle, preghiamo per i nostri fratelli e sorelle ucraini: soffrono tanto. La guerra è crudele! Tanti bambini spariti, tanta gente morta. Preghiamo, per favore! Non dimentichiamo la martoriata Ucraina. Oggi è una data significativa per il loro Paese.

Links to the full text in  ITALIAN and ENGLISH