Weekly Update #89
November 13

General Figures

Refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe 

5,850,100

Last updated November 7 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

392,100

Last updated October 14 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

6,242,200

Last updated November 7 2023

Source: UNHCR collation of statistics made available by the authorities

Compared with the population of each EU country, the highest numbers of total temporary protection beneficiaries per thousand people at the end of September 2023 were observed in Czechia (33.1), Estonia (26.2), Poland (26.1), Bulgaria (25.8) and Lithuania (25.5), whereas the corresponding figure at the EU level was equal to 9.3 per thousand people.

On 30 September 2023, Ukrainian citizens represented over 98% of the beneficiaries of temporary protection. Adult women made up almost half (46.5%) of temporary protection beneficiaries in the EU. Children accounted for slightly more than one-third (33.7%), while adult men comprised less than a fifth (19.9%) of the total.

Source: European Union

Continuing conflict

The Russian military command will likely struggle to redeploy combat-effective reinforcements to respond to ongoing Ukrainian operations in eastern Kherson Oblast while conducting defensive operations in western Zaporizhia Oblast and sustaining other offensive efforts in eastern Ukraine.

Localized offensive operations northwest and southwest of Bakhmut are likely opportunistic tactical ground attacks intended to take advantage of the reported reallocation of Ukrainian resources away from Bakhmut. Several milbloggers noted that the pace of Ukrainian artillery fire and ground activity in the Bakhmut direction has decreased in recent days, with some Russian sources remarking that this is partially because Ukrainian forces have redeployed to other areas of the front.

Explosions rock Kyiv after relative calm. Blasts were reported across Kyiv on Saturday morning, as the city came under Russian attack for the first time since September.

Russian forces struck a civilian ship near Odesa City on November 8. Ukraine's Southern Operational Command reported that a Russian Kh-31P missile struck a civilian ship flying the flag of Liberia in a port near Odesa City, Odesa Oblast, injuring several people and killing the ship’s pilot.

Russia may seek to provide gas to Iran through Kazakhstan. Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized during a meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the 19th Russian-Kazakh Regional Cooperation Forum in Ankara that Russia currently transports gas to Uzbekistan through Kazakhstan and seeks to further develop this transport.  Uzbekistan‘s continued export of gas while importing Russian gas for the first time suggests that Uzbekistan may not be the final destination for all its Russian gas imports. Uzbekistan is capable of providing Iran with direct access to other Central Asian as well as Russian and Chinese markets.

The UK Ministry of Defence said Russia’s military was being overextended by the war in Ukraine. In its latest daily intelligence update, the MoD said that the likely need for Russia to reallocate surface-to-air missile (Sam) systems from distant parts of its territory to maintain coverage over Ukraine showed the conflict was straining its military.

A Ukrainian diplomat said a global peace summit for Ukraine may take place next year. The Ukrainian president’s top diplomatic adviser, Ihor Zhovkva, said it might take place in February 2024.

A Russian missile hits a Liberia-flagged ship in Odesa, Ukraine’s main Black Sea port, killing a port worker and wounding another, as well as three citizens of the Philippines, crew members on the ship, Ukraine’s armed forces said Thursday.  Odesa port facilities have come under Russian attack 21 times since Russia in August declined to renew a deal allowing Ukraine to safely export grain via the Black Sea.

Ukraine says Russian combat losses climb to nearly 310,000. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said via social media on Friday that Russian combat losses had climbed to 309,520 since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion in February last year.  There has been no verification of these figures.

Fighting continues across Dnipro river. Heavy fighting continues on the left bank of the Dnipro river, where Ukrainian troops have secured a bridgehead.

Russia information sources reported on Friday that Ukraine's forces had stormed landings near the village of Krynki, the day after they were able to partially gain a foothold elsewhere.

As the counteroffensive grinds on, without big strategic success thus far, increasing attention is being paid to events across the Dnipro river. Much of the landscape in the Kherson region was flooded after the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam earlier this year, making offensive operations very difficult.

But as time went on and the land dried out this has changed, and in recent weeks Ukrainian forces were able to cross the Dnipro river and establish a bridgehead on the opposite bank.

If they are able to expand this foothold in Russian-held territory enough to establish operations and bring tanks across in sufficient numbers, it could put huge pressure on Kremlin control of the region.

Sources: ISW

CNBC

The Guardian

AP News

CNBC

Sky News

The Guardian

Source: ICRC

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Human Rights Watch Report on attacks on schools military use of schools – “Tanks on the Playground”

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has devastated schools and kindergartens throughout the country, Human Rights Watch said in a report and video released today. Since February 2022, over 3,790 educational facilities have been damaged or destroyed, according to Ukrainian government figures, severely interrupting access to education for millions of children.

The 71-page report, “Tanks on the Playground,” documents the damage and destruction of schools and kindergartens in four Ukrainian regions during the first months of the fighting. Most of the damage to educational facilities resulted from aerial attacks, artillery shelling, rocket strikes, and, in some cases, attacks using cluster munitions – causing significant damage to roofs, the collapse of walls, and major debris in classrooms. Russian forces frequently looted and pillaged schools they occupied, a war crime.

Human Rights Watch visited 50 education facilities in the Kyivska, Kharkivska, Chernihivska, and Mykolaivska regions and interviewed almost 90 school officials, representatives of local authorities, and witnesses to military operations.

Education in Ukraine has been under attack since Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014. Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 led to further attacks on and military use of schools, which, along with the overall effects of war, have severely disrupted Ukrainian children’s education, already suffering from school closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many students from schools that were damaged or destroyed had to continue their studies in other schools, studying in shifts or remotely, which has eroded the quality of education, Human Rights Watch said. Russian forces’ attacks on power infrastructure and consequent electricity and internet outages have frequently impeded remote learning.

The Ukrainian government has taken several key steps to protect education from attack. In 2019, Ukraine endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration, an international political commitment that aims to protect education from the worst effects of armed conflict. In August 2021, Ukraine adopted an action plan to carry out to the declaration’s requirements. As of January 2022, one thousand Ukrainian military officials had been trained in the Safe Schools Declaration and the Declaration’s “Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict.”

In July 2022, Ukrainian authorities also issued a high-level military order aiming to “non-use … premises of educational facilities for the temporary accommodation of military headquarters and units,” according to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.

The damage and destruction of schools that Human Rights Watch documented typically occurred when Russian forces captured cities and towns and occupied schools during the early weeks of the fighting in 2022. In several cases, Russian forces fired on the schools they had used as they withdrew from areas they had occupied, further damaging them.

When occupying schools, Russian forces pillaged them, looting desktop and laptop computers, televisions, interactive whiteboards, other school equipment, and heating systems. What was not stolen was often broken. Upon withdrawal, Russian forces left behind burned-out and ransacked classrooms. They also painted graffiti on walls, typically expressing hate toward Ukrainians.

Using schools as living quarters for troops, storing ammunition, or parking or deploying military vehicles on school grounds makes attacks on schools more likely. Military forces are obligated under the laws of war to do everything feasible to protect schools and other civilian objects under their control from the effects of attack.

Russia has not endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration. The United Nations and others should press the Russian government to immediately cease deliberate, indiscriminate, and disproportionate attacks against civilians and civilian objects, including schools, and urge Russia to avoid using Ukrainian educational facilities for military purposes. Russia should carry out the declaration’s provisions and include its principles in training military personnel.

Source: HRW

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American Red Cross Awards Grant to Support CORE’s Long-term Humanitarian Efforts in Ukraine, Poland & Romania

CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) is pleased to announce an additional generous grant of $3 million from the American Red Cross to support the organization’s humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

Founded by Sean Penn and Ann Lee, CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) is a global crisis response organization that brings immediate aid and long-term recovery solutions to underserved communities. When a crisis strikes, CORE responds immediately to fill gaps, mobilize resources, and establish trust and collaboration from within communities. 

This contribution follows an initial grant from the Red Cross of $5 million USD in April 2022, and a top-up contribution of $2 million USD in December 2022. These funds have enabled CORE’s ongoing commitment to serve internally displaced people in Ukraine and refugees who continue to flee the international armed conflict.

In partnership with local governments and community-based organizations, CORE has supported nearly 70,000 conflict-affected people across Ukraine, Poland and Romania. This additional donation from American Red Cross will build upon past and present cross-sector relief programs, to meet the evolving needs of communities.

Expanding on the provision of critical assistance to the frontlines and recently liberated areas in Ukraine, and to neighboring host countries, this tranche of funding will build on existing efforts focused on dignified, sustainable shelter solutions, vital food assistance, clean water, sanitation, and livelihood support.

As the international armed conflict in Ukraine approaches its second full year, CORE is dedicated to collaborating with communities to address the growing need for more long-term, durable solutions for internally displaced Ukrainians and those who have been forced to flee.

Source: American Red Cross, CORE

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Ground-breaking non-profit humanitarian safety training centre launches in Ukraine

More than 45 participants have now graduated from the first Humanitarian Environment Individual Safety Trainings (HEIST) delivered through the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) ‘s new Humanitarian Training Centre (HTC) in Ukraine.

The inaugural Humanitarian Environment Individual Safety Training (HEIST) run out of INSO's new Humanitarian Training Centre (HTC) in Lviv, Ukraine, wrapped up in mid-October 2023. This session saw 16 aid workers from 11 organisations equipped with life-saving skills. It was the first of 36 HEISTs planned for the remainder of 2023 and 2024.

INSO's HTC is the first permanent centre based in a conflict-affected area devoted to in-person safety training for aid workers. It leverages INSO's vast experience running more than 650 humanitarian safety and access trainings annually in 15 conflict-affected countries and its international expertise in safety and security.

Beyond training, the HTC will serve as a centre of expertise for the humanitarian community. INSO will partner with relevant institutions to conduct on-site action research during sessions. This research will enhance the learning impact of stress-exposure training targeting aid workers and improve considerations regarding participant well-being.

By pooling knowledge from the sector and academia, HTC will reinforce the humanitarian community's capacity to train its staff and, in turn, improve humanitarian access.

HEIST, the core training offering of the HTC, is a four-day immersive course designed for the most exposed aid workers. Founded on humanitarian principles and through practical exercises and simulations, this stress-exposure training provides skills and tools to help participants prevent, react, and mitigate incidents in insecure environments.

International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) is the largest in-person humanitarian safety and security training provider. INSO’s humanitarian safety services are available to all operational humanitarian organisations and NGOs. INSO Ukraine was established in 2015 to monitor the conflict situation and assist NGOs in responding to humanitarian and development needs in Ukraine 

Source: INSO

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Briefing to the Security Council on Humanitarian Situation in Ukraine, 31 October by OCHA

Mr. Ramesh Rajasingham, OCHA Director of Coordination, delivered this summary report on Ukraine on Behalf of Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Martin Griffiths on 31 October 2023. Below are key excerpts from this briefing to help in advocacy efforts to continue support of the Ukrainian people.

• Countrywide, air strikes, artillery fire, and ground fighting continue on a daily basis. People’s lives are dominated by the constant sound of air raid sirens, as unrelenting air strikes rain down and destroy civilian objects – one day a post office terminal, another day a small café, yet another day a grocery shop. Near front lines, people’s daily routines now include picking their way around land contaminated by mines.

• The dozens of people killed in the horrific attack on the village of Hroza in Kharkiv region we discussed at the start of this month joined the thousands of others killed in strikes on homes, schools, fields, and markets across Ukraine in the course of this war.

At the latest count, more than 9,900 civilians have been killed since the start of the invasion. To put this into perspective, this is equivalent to almost 16 civilians killed every day.

As these are only the figures OHCHR has so far formally verified, the actual toll is certainly higher.

• Since the start of the invasion, the World Health Organization has also verified more than 1,300 attacks on health care. This is more than 55 per cent of all attacks against health care in the world over the same period. 111 health care workers and patients have been killed and many more injured. Just in the past 2 months, since the beginning of September, 13 health facilities have been impacted by attacks.

The damage to Ukraine’s health infrastructure comes at a time when it is needed more than ever. In some parts of the east and south, services have been decimated as not even half of hospitals or clinics remain functional.

• Russian strikes have also continued on port infrastructure on the Black Sea and the Danube River, with consequent impacts on the export of grain and other foodstuffs.

Ukraine has nonetheless reported a growing number of vessels entering and departing from its Black Sea ports via a temporary corridor announced in August, following the withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the Black Sea Initiative.

As we have said in this chamber many times before, at a time of staggering levels of hunger around the world, it is imperative that all sources of food supplies are safely and sustainably connected to global supply chains.

The functionality of Ukraine’s ports and the ability of cargo vessels to move through the Black Sea safely and predictably has a direct bearing on global food prices and, by extension, on global food security.

• The scale of humanitarian needs in Ukraine more than a year and a half into this war is vast. Currently some 18 million people – more than 40 percent of the entire Ukrainian population – are in need of some form of humanitarian assistance.

Ten million people also remain displaced, either internally or as refugees in other countries.

• The war's gender dimensions are alarming. The crisis has further exacerbated existing gender inequalities and discrimination, with women and girls, in particular those with disabilities, older women and adolescent girls, facing heightened risks of gender-based violence and limited access to services.

• Despite the risks, more than 500 humanitarian organizations – the majority of which are local organizations – have reached nine million people with life-saving aid in the first nine months of 2023.

This has been enabled by substantial donor contributions to the 2023 Ukraine Humanitarian Response Plan – more than USD $2 billion has been received against requirements of USD $3.9 billion for this year. I thank donors for their hugely generous support.

• As long as this war continues to be waged, civilians across Ukraine will suffer the horrendous humanitarian consequences.

And the humanitarian community will continue to do everything it can to assist the people of Ukraine in their hour of need.

Source: OCHA

Caritas Odesa assists internally displaced persons, particularly those with disabilities and their families, with multipurpose cash assistance.  The grants aim to support the needs of IDPs re-settling in Odesa and Khmelnytskyi regions. (Courtesy of Caritas Odesa UGCC)