Weekly Update #86
October 23
October 23
STATUS OF THE CONFLICT
Continuing conflict
Russian state media are falsely attempting to portray Ukraine as oppressing religious liberties to publicly discredit Ukraine. Russian state media outlets are reporting on the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada’s October 19 vote to ban the Russian state-affiliated religious organizations and claimed that the vote is part of the “persecution” of the Russian state-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC MP).[101] As ISW has previously reported, the UOC MP is not an independent religious organization but an extension of the Russian state that has provided military support for Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and the full-scale invasion in 2022.[102] The Kremlin has notably sought to portray itself as religiously tolerant while actively persecuting Ukrainian Orthodox Christians and religious minorities in occupied Ukraine
A Russian federal subject (region) is attempting to compensate for labor shortages in its defense sector by spearheading an initiative to allow some minors to work in hazardous conditions. The Republic of Tatarstan is preparing a proposal to amend its labor code to allow Russian minors aged 16-18 to work in hazardous conditions under a fixed-term contract due to personnel shortages. The head of the Russian State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy, and Veterans’ Affairs expressed support for allowing some teenagers to work at defense enterprises and noted labor shortages across the industry, including at aircraft manufacturing plants and at small-arms manufacturer Kalashnikov Concern.
The Belarusian government announced on October 19 that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree granting Belarusian citizenship to 262 Ukrainian civilians, including 16 children. The Belarusian government stated that Belarus has provided citizenship to 6,814 Ukrainian citizens since August 9, 2021
The Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov is in North Korea thanking Kim Jong Un for the 1,000 containers of military equipment and ammunition that have enabled Russian forces to attack Ukrainian defences in the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka, capturing some small areas as they try to encircle the Ukrainian defenders.
Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations in eastern and southern Ukraine and reportedly continued to advance near Bakhmut and in western Zaporizhia Oblast -- albeit slowly, they retain the initiative. However, in a bold move the Ukrainians have put additional forces across the Dnipro River onto the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast advancing north of Pishchanivka and into Poym (both 11 to 14km east of Kherson City).
Ukrainian forces continued larger-than-usual ground operations on the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast on October 20 and established a confirmed presence in a settlement on the east bank.
Ukraine will receive US-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles on a regular basis, the country's foreign minister said today. This comes two days after Kyiv confirmed using them for the first time.
The White House said on Tuesday it had supplied Kyiv with ATACMS missiles and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his forces had used such missiles in action.
The high-tech missiles are capable of striking targets well beyond the range of cannons, rockets and other missiles. They are also fitted with a specialised GPS system. The Ukrainians believe the missiles will help their counteroffensive as it heads into the winter season.
Ukraine repels new Russian onslaught on eastern front, Zelenskyy says.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday Ukrainian forces had repelled a new Russian onslaught on the eastern town of Avdiivka and were holding their ground in heavy fighting. The Ukrainian General Staff reported on October 20 that Ukrainian forces damaged and destroyed almost 50 Russian tanks and over 100 armored vehicles during the past day of fighting near Avdiivka. Ukrainian soldiers operating in the Avdiivka area reported on October 20 that Ukrainian forces have destroyed 200 Russian armored vehicles in the past four days.
Ukrainian forces have likely repelled another intensified Russian offensive effort towards Avdiivka in the past several days and inflicted further heavy personnel and equipment losses on Russian troops in the area. Ukrainian and Russian sources indicated that Russian forces mounted another offensive push on Avdiivka between October 19 and 20, and geolocated footage posted on October 21 confirms that Russian forces did make marginal gains northwest of Avdiivka in the waste heap area.
The Biden administration is requesting more than $105 billion from Congress as part of a package it says will provide security assistance for conflicts in Ukraine and Israel while addressing “the global humanitarian impacts of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine and of Hamas’ horrific attacks on Israel, including by extending humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.”
Sources: Sky News
THE HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine (A/78/540) (Advance Unedited Version)
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine documented further evidence that Russian authorities have committed indiscriminate attacks and the war crimes of torture, rape and other sexual violence, and deportation of children to the Russian Federation, according to its report submitted to the UN General Assembly.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine was created by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 to investigate all alleged violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, and related crimes in the context of the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine. In March 2024, the Commission will submit a comprehensive report on its activities within its second mandate to the Human Rights Council.
It presented the Advanced Unedited Version of their report to the UN General Assembly, which renewed the Commission’s initial mandate for another year.
As the armed conflict continues in its second year, it has further contributed to suffering and hardship for thousands of affected civilians. The Commission has found new evidence that Russian authorities have committed violations of international human rights and international humanitarian law, and corresponding crimes, in areas that came under their control in Ukraine. It documented additional indiscriminate attacks by Russian armed forces, which have led to deaths and injuries of civilians and the destruction and damage of civilian objects.
The collected evidence further shows that Russian authorities have committed the war crimes of willful killing, torture, rape and other sexual violence, and the deportation of children to the Russian Federation. The Commission’s investigations confirmed its previous finding that Russian authorities have used torture in a widespread and systematic way in various types of detention facilities which they maintained. Interviews with victims and witnesses illustrated a profound disregard towards human dignity by Russian authorities in these circumstances. The Commission also documented cases in which Russian soldiers burst into houses of villages they occupied, raped women and a girl, and committed additional war crimes against the victims and their family members.
Several highlights of their report included:
Interviews with victims and witnesses illustrated a profound disregard towards human dignity by Russian authorities in these circumstances. Witnesses reported situations in which torture had been committed with such brutality that the victim died. In a detention facility in a school in Biliayivka village, Kherson region, co-detainees requested medical care when a victim showed signs of respiratory distress immediately after being tortured. However, Russian armed forces refused, and the victim died within an hour.
The Commission's recent investigations in the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia show that rape and other sexual violence were often committed together with additional acts of violence against the victims, including severe beatings, strangling, suffocating, slashing, shooting next to the head of the victim and wilful killing. A 75-year-old woman who stayed alone to protect her property, was attacked by a Russian soldier who hit her on her face, chest, and ribs, strangled her, as he was interrogating her.
The Commission investigated further accounts regarding transfers of unaccompanied children by Russian authorities to the Russian Federation or to areas they occupied in Ukraine. It documented the transfer of 31 children from Ukraine to Russia in May 2022, and concluded that it was an unlawful deportation, which is a war crime. The Commission is concerned about information regarding measures that have the apparent aim of allowing certain children to remain for prolonged periods in the Russian Federation.
The report contains three cases where the investigations showed that Ukrainian authorities committed violations of human rights against persons whom they have accused of collaboration with the Russian authorities. The Commission reiterates the importance of accountability, in all its dimensions, with full respect and care for the rights of the victims.
Sources: UN GA
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Ukrainian parliament votes to ban Orthodox Church over alleged links with Russia
The Ukrainian parliament gave initial approval on Thursday to a law that would ban the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church after Kyiv accused it of collaborating with Russia following last year’s invasion.
The UOC – which is distinct from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) – says it no longer aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church and denies the charges levelled at it by Kyiv and said the draft law would be unconstitutional.
The law would ban the activities of religious organisations affiliated with centres of influence “in a state that carries out armed aggression against Ukraine”, and such activities could be terminated by a court of law.
The UOC said the draft law, one of several similar bills registered in parliament, did not comply with the European convention on human rights or Ukraine’s constitution.
Describing itself as an “independent and separate church”, the UOC accused Kyiv of trying to pass it off as affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church and portraying its Ukrainian clergymen and believers as “agents of the Russian Federation”.
Ukrainian authorities and many people in Ukraine had for years seen the UOC as loyal to Moscow, and cracked down on the church after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
A government commission has ruled that the UOC is still canonically linked to Russia despite the church declaring that it cut ties with the Russian Orthodox Church in May 2022.
The church’s second most senior priest, Metropolitan Pavlo, has been notified he is suspected of inciting inter-religious hatred and distributing materials justifying Russian aggression. He has denied the accusations.
Ukraine’s Security Service said on Thursday 68 criminal cases, including accusations of treason, had been initiated against UOC representatives since Russia’s invasion last year.
Source: The Guardian
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USAID contributes $38 million to protect civilians affected by war in Ukraine
The USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, through its partnership with Ukraine Protection Consortium, led by Save the Children in collaboration with Danish Refugee Council and Right to Protection, has granted $38 million to meet immediate and basic needs and improve resilience of the most vulnerable war-affected population in Ukraine — including children, women, people with disabilities, and the elderly — by providing multi-sectoral life-saving aid.
The BHA funding to the humanitarian consortium will help address key protection concerns by enabling access to immediate and lifesaving protection, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene services and reducing reliance on negative coping strategies of vulnerable households in Ukraine. This includes:
Providing cash assistance to vulnerable communities, including newly displaced households and at-risk populations in newly accessible areas.
Scaling up psychosocial support and case management services to children and caregivers; prevention and response to gender-based violence.
Light and medium repairs of households and collective centres for displaced people; distribution of winter clothes and heating items.
Repairs and modernization of existing water supply and sewerage infrastructure; provision of emergency water supplies.
Advocating for the enhancement of legislation on child protection with a particular focus on the most vulnerable children, those deprived of parental care, and those affected by the war.
By the end of 2024, the Ukraine Protection Consortium aims to reach about 400,000 people across Northern, Eastern, and Southern Ukraine, so they can meet their immediate and basic needs, improve their resilience, and recover from shocks.
Source: Save the Children
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New cooperation agreement between UNHCR and Poltava Regional State Administration will reinforce support to and inclusion of displaced people
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Poltava Regional State Administration today signed a Memorandum of Understanding that solidifies and further strengthens ongoing cooperation aimed at supporting war-affected and displaced people who have found safety in the region.
Areas of mutual engagement include provision of in-kind humanitarian and cash assistance, legal aid, repairs of homes, refurbishments of collective sites hosting displaced people, as well as activities that support displaced people’s social and economic inclusion.
As of October 2023, Poltavska oblast hosts over 186,000 internally displaced people. UNHCR has been contributing to the authorities’ efforts to receive people fleeing the hostilities by improving the living conditions in several collective sites, as well as promoting durable solutions for those who have been displaced. To create a platform for discussing best practices for facilitating inclusion, on 18-19 August, UNHCR supported a forum that brought to Poltava four IDP-led councils from Luhanska, Sumska, Kharkivska and Poltavska oblasts.
UNHCR will continue to support community mobilization by developing the capacity of IDP, women-led and war-affected communities. Other priorities include legal aid to help people apply for state compensation for their damaged properties, restore their identity certificates and overcome war-related trauma through psychosocial support.
Since the start of the Russian invasion, UNHCR and its NGO partners reached 272,803 people in Poltavska oblast with protection services, cash assistance, essential relief items, repairs, construction materials and support in the collective sites.
Source: UNHCR
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Kakhovka Dam destruction inflicted US$14 billion damage and loss on Ukraine
The destruction of the Kakhovka dam inflicted almost US$14 billion in loss and damage on Ukraine, compounding the already disastrous impacts of Russia’s full-scale invasion, according to a new report released by the Government of Ukraine and the United Nations. The initial estimate for total recovery and reconstruction needs is $5.04 billion, and this figure is expected to grow as more detailed assessments are carried out. In the short term, $1.82 billion is required for recovery efforts in the 2023/2024 period.
According to this comprehensive report, direct damage to infrastructure and assets amounted to US$2.79 billion, while losses exceeded US$11 billion, with the lasting environmental impact being the biggest concern. The direct damage to infrastructure and assets was highest in the energy and housing sectors.
The report estimates that total recovery and reconstruction needs are US$5.04 billion, of which US$1.82 billion will be required in the immediate- to short-term.
The Post Disaster Needs Assessment was prepared jointly by the United Nations and teams from the Government of Ukraine, led by the Ministry of the Economy, with inputs by the World Bank Group and the European Union.
Summary of Damages and Losses
The PDNA estimates US$2.79 billion of direct damage to infrastructure and assets and over US$11 billion of losses, the lasting environmental impact being the biggest concern. The direct damage to infrastructure and assets was highest in the energy and housing sectors.
Losses were highest in the environment and energy sectors, which are critical to long-term stability and recovery:
The environment sector recorded over US$6.4 billion (58%), and the energy sector accounted for US$3.8 billion (35%).
Agriculture and fisheries (3%) also suffered major losses, followed by Culture (1%), Water & Sanitation (1%), Municipal Services & Community Infrastructure (1%), and Health (1%).
The total damage to the housing sector is estimated at US$1.101 billion. Over 37,000 residential units were impacted by the flooding, with 15% damaged beyond repair.
The Water & Sanitation (WSS) sector sustained physical damages estimated at US$65.92 million.
The Kakhovka Dam breach resulted in damages of US$7.4 million to the Commerce and Industry10 sector.
Summary
Summary of Recovery and Reconstruction Needs
Reconstruction and recovery needs in the environment sector total US$59.5 million, with priorities including contaminated site assessments, cleanup, surveys, and de-mining.
The energy sector’s total reconstruction and recovery needs are estimated at nearly US$1.8 billion, with approximately US$439 million allocated for the immediate needs in 2023-2024.
The recovery and reconstruction needs for the housing sector amount to US$1.502 billion
The Water and Sanitation sector requires US$700.93 million as recovery and reconstruction costs to address the needs of downstream flooded areas and upstream areas with water shortages.
The estimated agriculture sector recovery needs amount to US$180 million over ten years, of which US$69.5 million is required in the immediate/ short-term.
Total reconstruction and recovery needs for the commerce and industry sector are US$20.0 million
The total needs for recovery of the health system are estimated at US$30.9 million for the initial 12 months of response and recovery and US$69.1 million for longer-term measures.
Source: Govt. Ukraine, UNCT Ukraine
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Series of trainings on capacity building for emergency medical team (EMT) health-care workers
The WHO gender-based violence (GBV) team, in partnership with the Ukrainian Public Health Centre (UPHC), initiated a series of trainings focusing on capacity building for EMT health-care workers on quality health care for survivors of sexual violenceand intimate partner violence. The primary goal is to bolster the proficiency of EMT health-care workers in delivering services to GBV survivors, adhering to both WHO guidelines and national legislations
In conjunction with the HIV team, UPHC and regional HIV centres, received technical support on GBV prevention and response, especially in the distribution of postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) kits. The main objective is to devise a strategy to make GBV-related services, particularly HIV testing and PEP for sexual violence survivors, available in emergency medical settings. As a part of this initiative, training sessions were held in the Odesa and Lviv regions, emphasizing the integration of GBV and HIV services into primary health care (PHC), and included insights into the contents of PEP kits and their proposed distribution model. Distribution of PEP kits will be coordinated with regional health departments and HIV centres.
In November the GBV team is scheduled to conduct eight training sessions for emergency medical and PHC professionals, focusing on services for GBV survivors. This is in line with the updated GBV framework, which now incorporates conflict-related sexual violence guidelines specific to Ukraine. The training targets 200 personnel across 11 oblasts: Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Sumy, Poltava, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, Odesa, Kherson and Mykolayiv. The main objective is to ensure a comprehensive understanding of GBV as a critical public health issue, rectify biases against GBV survivors, equip professionals with the skills necessary forfirst-line support, and empower health-care managers to effectively organize GBV survivor-centric service delivery.
Source: WHO
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First underground school to be built in Kharkiv
The Kharkiv mayor announced that Ukraine's first underground school will be built in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv. "Such a shelter will allow thousands of children to continue their in-person education safely even during missile threats," he said. This school will meet modern requirements for defensive buildings.
Ukraine says more than 360 educational facilities have been destroyed and over 3,000 damaged since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
Last month, more than 1,000 Kharkiv pupils started their new school year at five underground stations that were turned into the so-called "metro-schools".
The students are ferried by buses, and study in two shifts: the early one starts at 09:00 local time, followed by the late one at 13:00. Police and rescuers are on duty at each underground station.
According to the UN children agency Unicef, only a third of Ukraine's schoolchildren currently study in-person, amid continuing deadly Russian missile and drone attacks as well as shelling.
Many of those pupils have been forced to attend classes in underground metro stations and other makeshift shelters - often without proper heating.
Last week, the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency said many schools in the 27-member bloc were struggling to integrate children who have fled the war in Ukraine.
It said there were currently about 1.3 million Ukrainian children in the EU.
Source: BBC
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OSCE and IOM help Ukrainian officials and experts to build practical skills for handling human trafficking cases
A series of four three-day simulation exercises organized jointly by the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine and IOM Mission in Ukraine in September and October helped officials, experts, and practitioners from 12 regions of Ukraine to enhance their practical skills in investigating cases of trafficking in human beings and assisting survivors of the crime.
The training imitates labour and sexual exploitation scenarios using the methodology developed by the Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (CTHB).
These exercises enable participants to practice identification of trafficking survivors, provide necessary assistance with a focus on protecting survivors’ rights and prevention of their re-traumatization. Simulation-based training helps to improve the distribution of responsibilities and competencies of the involved agencies and promote mutual information exchange, while safeguarding confidentiality of those who suffered from the crime.
The key focus of the effort was to practice co-operation of key stakeholders of National Referral Mechanism that establishes interagency framework to deal with human trafficking. Thus, the organizers invited representatives of the migration police and the prosecutor's office, investigators, labour inspectors, employees of social protection departments, service for children’s affairs, and centres for social and psychological assistance, as well as representatives of social service centres and related non-governmental organizations. In total, 120 officials, law enforcers, and civil society experts took part in four simulation-based training events.
Source: OSCE
HOLY FATHER ON UKRAINE
Angelus - October 22, 2023 (Sunday)
War, any war that there is in the world – I also think of tormented Ukraine – is a defeat. War is always a defeat; it is a destruction of human fraternity. Brothers, stop! Stop!
La guerra, ogni guerra che c’è nel mondo – penso anche alla martoriata Ucraina – è una sconfitta. La guerra sempre è una sconfitta, è una distruzione della fraternità umana. Fratelli, fermatevi! Fermatevi!
Links to the full text in ITALIAN and ENGLISHGeneral Audience - October 18, 2023
Lastly I greet young people, the elderly, the sick and newlyweds. Today is the feast of Saint Luke. His Gospel reminds us that the Church’s mission is possible only if we know how to be very united with God in prayer and completely willing to place ourselves in his hands. Brothers and sisters, please, let us continue to pray for peace, and let us not forget battered Ukraine, of which nothing is being said now, but where the tragedy continues.
Saluto infine i giovani, gli anziani, gli ammalati e gli sposi novelli. Oggi ricorre la festa di san Luca, il suo Vangelo ci ricorda che la missione della Chiesa è possibile soltanto se sappiamo essere molto uniti a Dio con la preghiera e interamente disposti a metterci nelle sue mani. Fratelli e sorelle, per favore, continuiamo a pregare per la pace e non dimentichiamo la martoriata Ucraina, che adesso non se ne parla ma il dramma continua.
Links to the full text in ITALIAN and ENGLISHMEMBER PHOTOS
Malteser Germany has had special ties with Ukraine and supported, among other things, the foundation of the Ukrainian Malteser relief organization "Maltijska Služba Dopomohy". Since 1993, this organization, with its headquarters in Lviv in western Ukraine, has been active in the social and health sectors (courtesy of Malteser International, https://www.malteser-international.org/en/our-work/europe/ukraine/promotion-of-social-cohesion.html )