Weekly Update #87
October 30

General Figures

Refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe 

5,826,700

Last updated October 22 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

369,200

Last updated August 19 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

6,218,800

Last updated October 22 2023

Source: UNHCR collation of statistics made available by the authorities

Continuing conflict

Ukrainian forces marginally advanced on the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast and continued offensive operations near Bakhmut and in western Zaporizhia Oblast.

Russian forces launched a series of missile and drone strikes against Ukraine on the night of October 26 to 27.

A missile strike on a mail depot in the eastern city of Kharkiv killed six people, Ukrainian officials said Sunday, as Ukraine reported a record number of bomb attacks in the southern Kherson region. A further 17 people were wounded in the blast late Saturday, which is believed to have been caused by a Russian S-300 rocket. The air raid siren had sounded just moments before the attack, leaving those inside the depot with no time to reach shelter. The Ukrainian-held front-line city has been at the heart of fierce fighting as both Moscow and Kyiv push for battlefield breakthroughs amid the looming onset of wintry conditions. 

Officials in southern Ukraine said Sunday the Russian military had used a record number of aerial bombs over the country’s Kherson region in the previous 24 hours.  A spokesperson for the Ukrainian military’s Operational Command South, said that 36 missiles had been recorded over the area, with some villages being hit by several strikes.

Russian authorities have likely coerced Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) into joining a “volunteer” formation that will fight in Ukraine, which would constitute an apparent violation of the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War. Russian state media reported on October 27 that the “Bogdan Khmelnitsky” volunteer battalion “recruited” roughly 70 Ukrainian POWs from various Russian penal colonies, has begun training, and will deploy to an unspecified area of the front line upon completion of training.

Ukraine has started the forced evacuation of around 1,000 children from areas near to the front line as Russia intensifies attacks.   Parents have been told they must move their families to safety from 31 settlements in the southern Kherson and eastern Donetsk regions. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Officials in the north-eastern Kharkiv region are also preparing to evacuate 275 children from 10 settlements.  Ukraine has ordered such evacuations before when fighting has intensified. Officials say many children are living under near constant shelling and insist it's now far too dangerous for them to remain at home. Kyiv has promised families safe passage to safer parts of the country where they'll be given free accommodation and places at schools and nurseries.

In the Donetsk region a special police unit known as the White Angels is responsible for getting people to safety.

Sources:

BBC

AP News

Source: DFS Ukrainian Crisis Situational Analysis - 25 October 2023

Data covers Jan. 24, 2022 to July 31, 2023.

Note: Totals may not reflect complete numbers as some amounts have not been disclosed.

Source: Kiel Institute for the World Economy

Graphic: Lou Robinson, CNN

But the US leads in assistance with heavy weapons and accompanying ammunition, as well as in supplying light infantry, with at least 150 million units of ammunition pledged. The country is supplying 38 multiple launch rocket systems along with ammunition, and 270 Howitzer artillery weapons. Both have proved effective on the front line, Ukrainian officials have said.

At least 35 anti-aircraft surface-to-air missile systems have also been committed to Ukraine by the US — the most of any country, and the total amount is likely higher as some quantities have not been disclosed.

Source: CNN

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EU summit turns its eyes away from Ukraine despite a commitment to stay the course with Zelenskyy

The European Union summit showed that Ukraine will be facing tougher times to get all the attention and political, economic and military aid that it wants.

After dominating summit after summit since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the timing alone, anecdotal as it was, underscored a deeper reality: Zelenskyy will be facing tougher times to get all the attention and political, economic and military aid that Ukraine wants.

And it's not only geopolitics creeping up on Ukraine. EU politics too are no longer as kind to Zelenskyy.

Orbán said in his weekly interview on state radio that the EU's strategy for assisting Ukraine in its war has “failed,” and signaled that he may not be willing to approve an EU proposal that would provide more financial assistance to Kyiv.

Moscow is certainly pushing more funds into the war effort. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told lawmakers that nearly a third of government spending next year will go into defense for a total about 109 billion euros ($115 billion), noting that the amount is significantly higher compared to previous years.

After reclaiming some ground during a counteroffensive that began in June, Ukraine forces failed to break through Russia's multi-echeloned defenses to achieve their goal of cutting a land link to the Crimean Peninsula they crave. Offensive operations are now expected to slow down as the winter sets in. All this despite billions in support from Europe and the United States.

With Ukraine funding in jeopardy in the U.S. Congress, Zelenskyy is looking to leave the financial lifeline to Europe open.

By the end of the year, EU leaders have to approve a four-year 50-billion-euro (nearly $53 billion) package for Ukraine to provide budget support, promote investment and help with reconstruction — and here again, the veto powers of member states come into play. There is also a four-year 20-billion-euro ($21 billion) military and security package in the pipeline.

It has irked a large majority of EU nations that see Ukraine as a bulwark for the kind of democracy they want to see across the globe. On Friday, Germany again showed what that meant.

This week, Germany handed over a third IRIS-T SLM air defense system to Ukraine after two of the sophisticated systems were supplied over the past year.

“Even if the security policy situation worldwide is further escalating and we are looking with great concern at the moment at Israel and the Middle East, we will not stop supporting Ukraine,” Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said. “This war will not be forgotten.”

Others are also asking: If not the full backing of Ukraine, what could Fico and Orbán propose as a viable strategy.

“If we don’t help Ukraine, then what is the alternative, really,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said. “I mean, Russia wins! And so what happens next? Why do you think that you’re safe then?”

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has the answer. “If we don’t stop Putin in Ukraine, he won’t stop there. So it is a threat to all of us.”

Source: Independent

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UNICEF delivers almost 240,000 doses of life-saving vaccines for children in Ukraine

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) delivered a new batch of critical vaccines to support Ukraine’s National Immunization Programme and protect children across the country from dangerous diseases like polio and diphtheria. 

UNICEF, a trusted partner of Ukraine’s Health Ministry, procured and delivered additional 156,960 doses of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), 50,000 doses of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine and 32,000 doses of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine.

The procurement and delivery of HiB and DTP vaccines was made possible by funding from the Government of Japan.

The vaccines delivered by UNICEF provide effective protection from a range of diseases:

• Polio **is a highly contagious disease that poses a serious threat to the nervous system and can potentially lead to paralysis or death. Paralysis can be lifelong, and many polio-affected persons can be disabled. The only way to effectively prevent this disease is through vaccination. Protection weakens if any vaccinations are missed, therefore a catch-up vaccination is required. Even though the World Health Organization (WHO) has recently declared the closure of the 2021 outbreak of poliovirus in Ukraine, polio remains a threat globally and routine vaccination should continue according to the vaccination schedule.

• A Hib infection can cause serious complications.  Haemophilus influenzae type b is a type of bacteria that can cause life-threatening diseases. Babies and children are most at risk of getting seriously ill. Even with successful treatment, there may be lasting effects such as hearing loss, seizures, loss of limbs and learning disabilities. Vaccination is the best way to prevent serious Hib infections.

• Pertussis, diphtheria and tetanus can have serious consequences for health. The combined DTP vaccine provides effective protection against three dangerous infections. Diphtheria affects the heart, nervous system and kidneys, resulting in death for 1 in 5 patients. Tetanus may infect unvaccinated individuals through contact with dirt containing its spores if it enters cuts or wounds. It damages the nervous system and causes seizures, with a mortality rate as high as 70 per cent. Pertussis bacteria, highly contagious, infect lungs and cause rapid, violent and uncontrollable coughing, leading to complete air loss from the lungs. In infants, it may result in life-threatening pauses in breathing (apnea).

Source: UNICEF

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Rapid Gender Analysis Ukraine (October 2023) 

CARE International carried out this analysis, with the support of the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group. The purpose was to shed light on the gender dynamics, needs, experiences and challenges of women, men, adolescent girls and boys and people with diverse gender identities, from different groups and backgrounds, as they cope with the humanitarian crisis after more than one and a half years of full-scale war. 

The analysis explores how pre-existing and reinforced power relations affect people’s experiences of conflict, and how they cope with the ensuing humanitarian emergency. 

This report draws on primary data collected in four oblasts (Kharkivska, Dnipropetrovska, Odeska, and Mykolaivska), as well as secondary data from before and during the crisis.

The war in Ukraine is not gender neutral. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, women and men have been playing distinct and specific roles. As the humanitarian crisis ensues, a general trend has emerged: women are often providing alone for their families while facing loss of income, family separation, and massive disruptions in the provision of essential services; whilst many men are engaged in the more direct war efforts on the frontlines, exposing themselves to potential death, severe injuries and mental health distress. 

Although Ukraine has not yet adopted full conscription, men between ages 18-60 may be called into military service unless they have legal grounds for deferment or exclusion. Many Ukrainian women have also voluntarily enrolled in the military and territorial defense forces. Yet, the mobilization of men is deeply rooted in beliefs around masculinity related to self-sacrifice on the battlefield and the defense of their country and family, which reinforces notions of feminine roles rooted in reproductive care.

Key Findings

• With massive displacement, there is an increased number of single female heads of household carrying out a greater amount of domestic and unpaid carework since the full-scale invasion. These increased domestic and care responsibilities are mainly due to family separation, lack of childcare facilities,school closures, and reduced access to other social services. Adolescent girls have taken on more unpaid care work to support women in coping with the increased responsibility of care for children and family members.

• The war in Ukraine has led to a rise in poverty rates nationwide that is affecting more women than men, with gender disparities highest amongst people above the age of 60. Women have lower wages andless secure employment compared to men, while many women hold part-time employment to allow them time to perform unpaid care work. In addition, women over 60 are allocated a smaller pension compared to men. High inflation rates and lack of employment especially in rural and settlement areas, have added significant pressure on women to meet households’ basic needs.

• Some men report avoiding formal registration processes due to fear of conscription, thereby reducing their access to services such as healthcare, unemployment benefits and cash assistance, as well as employment opportunities. This is particularly the case among male internally displaced people (IDPs), who are required to register to gain access to services following displacement.

• The potential of air attacks within or just outside of their city or community is the main safety concern reported across gender, age, location, residency, household type, diversity, and minorities groups. Many women and adolescents further reported refraining from walking outside or travelling at night to avoid looters and intoxicated people.

• The conflict and the ensuing humanitarian crisis have increased gender-based violence (GBV) risks for women and men of all ages and diverse backgrounds, while services are disrupted and support networks dismantled. The ongoing war has heightened risks of human trafficking, sexual exploitation and intimate partner violence (IPV).

• Women comprise the majority of frontline workers, volunteers and first responders who support affected populations, either through formal and informal associations or ad hoc groups. However, the large presence of women at local and grassroot levels supporting affected populations has yet to translate into more political decision-making.

Source: CARE