Weekly Update #98
January 15, 2024
January 15, 2024
REFUGEE SITUATION
(as of 28 December 2023)
General Figures
Refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe
5,939,400
Last updated December 31 2024
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
403,600
Last updated November 28 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
6,343,000
Last updated December 31 2024
Source: UNHCR collation of statistics made available by the authorities
THE HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
OCHA released this report on the humanitarian situation and response in Ukraine, in the light of the intensified Russian attacks.
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION
Russian strikes have continued to wreak havoc on Ukrainian cities over the past days, causing death and destruction, and impacting access to water, electricity, heating, and health services for millions of civilians in the middle of winter.
On January 10, in one of the latest incidents, a hotel frequently used by humanitarians in a densely populated area of Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, was hit, reportedly injuring nearly a dozen civilians, according to preliminary information from emergency service teams. Also last night, a still unconfirmed number of homes, at least three schools and other civilian infrastructure were damaged in Donetska and Khersonska oblasts, according to the national authorities.
Since the intensification of aerial attacks on 29 December across Ukraine, approximately 3,000 families had their homes damaged, according preliminary finding of assessments carried out by the Shelter and Non-Food Items Cluster.
The numbers might increase further, as humanitarian partners continue to assess the scope of the destruction.
Dnipropetrovska, Donetska, Zaporizka and Kharkivska oblasts had the largest number of residential buildings damaged or destroyed by the latest attacks. At the same time, houses in Chernihivska and Sumska oblasts in the north, western Khmelnytska Oblast, as well as in Kyiv, Liv and Odesa cities were also impacted.The attacks, exacerbated by extreme weather conditions, have left millions without critical services, including water and electricity, while the temperatures dropped to as low as to -15 degrees Celsius in parts of Ukraine. In Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovska Oblast, nearly 18,000 customers – including families, businesses and institutions – were without electricity yesterday, as attacks on 8 January and a break-down at an energy facility on 10 January interrupted supplies.
The city, home to 650,000 people, was also temporarily without public electric transport, and reported disruption of water and heating. Just the day before, a record 1,000 towns and villages in Ukraine were without power due to the combined impact of deteriorating weather conditions and hostilities, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Energy. Despite repair works, over 280 towns and villages remain without electricity, mostly in Dnipropetrovska (nearly 130 locations), Kirovohradska, Mykolaivska and Odeska oblasts.
Health and education facilities, particularly in areas close to the front line, have also been severely impacted. According to WHO's Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care, since the intensification of airstrikes on 29 December until 11 January, 11 attacks impacting health care have been verified in Ukraine, over half of a total of 21 incidents verified globally in this period. The wave of strikes reported on 8 January was particularly damaging. In Kryvyi Rih, the strikes reportedly shattered some 300 windows in 2 hospitals and damaged 3
200 apartment buildings – amidst the freezing weather, according to local authorities.
In Kharkivska Oblast, two schools and a kindergarten were damaged in Kupianskyi Raion, while a children’s health rehabilitation centre was hit in
Kharkiv City. At least three education facilities were impacted in Zaporizhzhia City and Khersonska Oblast, and damages were also reported in Donetska Oblast, according to the oblast and local authorities. In the Russian-occupied
part of Donetska Oblast, the Russian-installed authorities also reported damage to a hospital in Donetsk on 7 January, allegedly injuring two health workers and three patients, and a hospital and a children’s centre in Horlivka on 8 January.
Hostilities have also impacted, yet again, humanitarian organizations working close to the front line.
In Khersonska Oblast, indiscriminate attacks on 6 January damaged a warehouse of a local aid organization and module houses for displaced people in Tiahynska Hromada, according to humanitarians on the ground. A truck delivering humanitarian aid – emergency shelter materials — was hit, and supplies were partially destroyed. In 2023, some 55 incidents impacting humanitarian assets were reported, including 30 incidents when warehouses and distribution sites came under fire.
Across Ukraine, the new surge of attacks and hostilities is causing an extremely high death toll, including among children. Since 29 December, the UN Human Rights Office has already recorded the death of 125 civilians and injury to
over 550 others across Ukraine. From 6 to 8 January alone, at least five children were reported killed and eight more injured in Donetska, Dnipropetrovska, Kharkivska and Khersonska oblasts. This brings the confirmed number of
civilians killed since February 2022 to more than 10,200 – including 575 children – and those injured to over 19,300.
The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, condemned the attacks, saying that taking children's lives is inexcusable.
HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
Humanitarian organizations in Ukraine continued, over the past days, to support people caught up in the war and provide immediate assistance to those impacted by recent attacks. Today, for example, aid workers are providing
assistance to civilians in Kharkiv, where a strike late last night damaged a hotel and other civilian infrastructure.
Earlier on 6 January, aid organizations rapidly mobilized support to people whose homes were destroyed due to several on Pokrovskyi Raion of Donetska Oblast, providing them with hot meals, psychological assistance, and
construction materials.
The international NGOs ACTED, People in Need and national partners, including the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, Proliska and Angels of Salvation, delivered construction materials, blankets, mattresses, bed linen, water containers and kitchen utensils.
29 December and 4 January, Health Cluster partners provided emergency health services to more than 720 people in Dnipropetrovska, Kharkivska, Lvivska, Odeska, Zaporizka oblasts and Kyiv City. The work continued the following days, including the provision of services to address issues related to mental health, psychosocial support, sexual and reproductive health, specialized assistance for survivors of GBV, maternal and child health care. In Zaporizhzhia, for example, psychologists of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society assisted people affected by the 8 January attacks.
Shelter and Non-Food Items Cluster partners are pooling available resources to promptly address the needs of the affected population by distributing emergency shelter kits. Multiple cluster partners are distributing emergency kits, and registering people affected for emergency. Following the wave of attacks on 8 January, about 450 families in Dnipro and Novomoskovsk, and over 110 in Zaporizhzhia were registered.
Earlier, the NGO Global Empowerment Mission installed windows for 130 of the 700 families whose homes were damaged by attacks in Vyshneve Town, Kyivska Oblast, on 2 January.
Child Protection partners, including the International Rescue Committee, Mission Proliska, Volunteers: Adults to Children Foundation and NGO Common Cause for People, have provided mental health and psychosocial support
services, legal assistance, and emergency child protection in-kind support to 20 children and 113 caregivers impacted by the lasted attacks in Kharkiv.
In parallel, regular humanitarian programming continues, including activities targeting 1.7 million people with specific assistance to face the harsh Ukrainian winter.
Source: OCHA
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Vulnerability index of areas close to frontlines
REACH is a leading humanitarian initiative providing granular data, timely information and in-depth analysis from contexts of crisis, disaster and displacement. The work of REACH directly feeds into aid response and decision-making by providing accessible and precise information on the humanitarian situation of crisis-affected populations.
It has developed a vulnerability index as a means of determining the level of response of various geographical areas in Ukraine. Highlights of their analysis are featured in this section.
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Lacking access to basic goods and services, continuous protection concerns and damage to civilian infrastructure leave civilians vulnerable, especially in areas in close proximity to the front line.
Given the dynamic nature of the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, ongoing monitoring of needs is essential to ensure a comprehensive assessment of the need types and their severity among the affected populations, to ensure that humanitarian response plans remain aligned with the situation on the ground.
In line with the primary objective of REACH’s Humanitarian Situation Monitoring (HSM) of providing up-to-date multisectoral data on the evolution of humanitarian needs in Ukraine to enable monitoring of change in needs (through collection of longitudinal data at the settlement level) and targeting of response plans, the current Settlement Vulnerability Index (SVI) framework incorporated in this round is tailored to ascertain the severity of vulnerability at the settlement.
The framework is composed of HSM indicators across six sectors:
Food Security and Livelihoods, Shelter and Non-food items (NFIs), Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), Healthcare, Protection, and Education.
The indicators incorporated in the calculation of sectoral scores were selected based on the information they capture regarding people’s access to basic services and essential items. The indicators not incorporated in the score will still be used as part of the analysis and reporting as a way to present a comprehensive overview of the situation in the assessed settlements.
‘Severity’ signifies the intensity of vulnerabilities in the settlement, using a scale that ranges from 1 (minimal/ none) to 4+ (Extreme and Risk of Catastrophic/Sectoral Collapse).
The levels of sectoral vulnerability imply:
None/minimal: Essential basic sectoral needs are met in the settlement,
Stress: Borderline inability to meet basic sectoral needs in the settlement,
Severe: Moderate inability to meet basic sectoral needs in the settlement,
Extreme: Extreme inability to meet basic sectoral needs in the settlement,
Extreme+: Collapse of basic services and/or total inability to meet basic sectoral needs in the settlement
Overall settlement vulnerability score
Overall, the level of vulnerability was comparatively higher in the assessed settlements closer to the front line.
Of 110 assessed settlements in Zone A, 16% (n=18/110) appeared to have an extreme level of overall vulnerability. These settlements were concentrated in Donetska and Kharkivska Oblasts: Krasnohorivka, Marinka, Kurakhove, Avdiivka, Sviatohirsk, Vuhledar, Velyka Novosilka, Chasiv Yar, Zalizne,
Siversk, Zvanivka, Hrodivka, Lyman (Donetska Oblast), Tsyrkuny, Kurylivka,
Kupiansk, Vilkhuvatka, and Dvorichna (Kharkivska Oblast).
In addition to the highest level of overall vulnerability, these settlements (n=18/110) also displayed at least a Severe level of vulnerability across all sectors, except in the education sector.
Additionally, in Zone A, another eight settlements in Donetska and Kharkivska Oblasts had a Severe score of overall vulnerability in October 2023. The only settlement outside these two oblasts displaying a Severe score of overall vulnerability was Blahodatne in Chornomorska hromada, Mykolaivska Oblast.
Notably, the only settlements in Zone B where the level of overall vulnerability
reached an Extreme score were Shevchenkove and Donets in Kharkivska Oblast. Both settlements were retaken by the Ukrainian Government in September 2022 after the full-scale war broke out in February 2022.
Sectoral Vulnerability Scores
Protection appeared to be the main driver of heightened vulnerabilities with 70% (n=198/282) of the assessed settlements having Severe, Extreme, and Extreme+ vulnerability scores.
In Zone A, a considerable proportion of settlements scored Extreme (n=19/110) or Extreme+ (n=15/110), nearly all located in Donetska and Kharkivska Oblasts.
In the settlements with Extreme and Extreme+ vulnerability scores in protection in Zones A and B (n=46), the primary drivers for high vulnerability scores were the reported threat of missile attacks (n=45/46), presence of landmines/ UXOs (n=44/46), exposure to armed violence/shelling (n=43/46), damaged/ destroyed property (n=42/46), and attacks on civilian facilities (n=41/46).
Key Informants in these settlements also reported at least some movement restrictions into or out of the settlement. In 19 out of 46 settlements, no movement into our out of the settlement was reportedly possible because of administrative restrictions.
Overall, 21% (n=59/282) of the settlements had Severe or Extreme WASH sectoral vulnerability scores and notably most of the settlements with an Extreme level of vulnerability (n=27/38) were in Zone A.
The primary drivers of this score were indicators related to access to water: in 19 out of these 27 settlements over half of the population reportedly did not have access to water in the 14 days prior to data collection.
These settlements were mostly located in Donetska (n=13/19) and Kharkivska (n=5/19) Oblasts. Furthermore, various barriers to accessing water were identified: breakdowns/damages to water networks, water pumping stations, and water treatment stations, and lack of electricity or backup power.
Overall, 14% (n=40/282) of the assessed settlements received Severe and Extremehealthcare sectoral vulnerability scores.
Limited access to healthcare services was the primary driver of these high sectoral scores. In nearly all of these settlements (n=38/40), KIs reported that at least 1-9% of the population who needed healthcare services were unable to access them in the 14 days prior to data collection.
Notably, in 22 out of the mentioned 40 settlements over 50% of the people had reportedly been unable to access the desired services.
In the majority of the assessed settlements (62%, n=174/282), the food securityand livelihoods sectoral vulnerability score was at a Minimal level. Nearly all the Settlements with Severe and Extreme scores (n=36/38) were located in Donetskaand Kharkivska Oblasts, primarily in Zone A.
The primary drivers of vulnerability were related to the accessibility of sufficient food and to markets for purchasing goods. In nearly all these settlements, KIs reported that at least 10-24% of the population were unable to access both food and markets in the 14 days prior to data collection, indicating elevated sectoral deprivation in these areas.
In the education sector, a small proportion (10%, n=27/282) of settlementsdisplayed heightened vulnerabilities (Severe, Extreme and Extreme+). An Extreme+ score was found in Dvorichna (Kharkivska Oblast), Udachne and Novodonetske (Donetska Oblast).
The composite vulnerability score in education is primarily based on the unavailability of facilities for educational purposes and Internet network disruptions.
Source: REACH
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Snowstorms and power disruptions impact aid deliveries in Ukraine and Moldova
World Vision’s Project Manager reported that electricity shortage, in combination with water supply and sewage problems are now major programs in delivering humanitarian support to affected areas of Ukraine and Moldova.
In the first week of 2024, Ukraine, as well as the neighboring country Moldova, which hosts more than 112,000 Ukrainian refugees, have faced extreme weather conditions with temperatures as low as -15C degrees. Reports state that over 1,000 towns and villages have lost power in Ukraine's nine regions.
Many Ukrainians utilize generators to stay warm during the dozens of hours without heat or electricity, but the situation is considerably more problematic for those who do not have access to alternative sources of power generation.
In addition to electricity shortage, there are issues with water supply and sewage due to increasing attacks over the winter. "The eastern regions remain the most affected by power outages and inadequate water supplies," shares Iryna Chernysh, World Vision's Project Manager based in Dnipro, Ukraine.
With the support of Aktion Deutschland Hilft, World Vision's partner NGO Girls, World Vision will deliver 500 kits in Dnipro and Kharkiv Oblasts, each containing a hat, scarf, warm socks, thermos, and power bank.
World Vision is providing cash for work at the refugee accommodation center where Iryna resides, as well as non-food items. In the coming months, World Vision will also rehabilitate the RAC, which now houses around 80 Ukrainian refugees made possible through World Vision Korea.
World Vision has reached over 996,000 people in Ukraine, of which more than 488,000 are children, covering basic needs services, protection, education, mental health and cash programs.
Source: World Vision
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Rapid Gender and Conflict Analysis in Sumy and Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine (November, December 2023)
To better understand what impact the prolongation of the crisis has on gender roles and responsibilities and the most urgent concerns and needs of the affected populations, the Joint Emergency Response in Ukraine (JERU), conducted a series of focus group discussions in Kharkiv and Sumy Oblasts where, together with its partners, it supports the humanitarian response. The analysis was particularly focused on with populations residing in rural areas or closest to the front lines.
The current analysis summarizes the key findings and aims to inform humanitarian actors about main needs, concerns, and feelings of the affected populations in rural areas and to provide recommendations to better incorporate gender, age, and conflict considerations in programming. It provides additional primary information to support existing and future gender or conflict analyses.
The report is based on 23 focus group discussions involving 200 participants, highlighting the key findings and offering recommendations to enhance humanitarian response participation.
Main Findings:
Roles and Responsibilities with Paid and Unpaid Work: Both genders face challenges in accessing stable employment. Women shoulder increased unpaid work, while men experience pressures due to the loss of traditional breadwinner roles.
Needs and Access to Services: Participants express the necessity for multi-purpose cash assistance, particularly in rural areas lacking essential items and facing increased winter costs. Healthcare access, mental health concerns, and water and sanitation issues emerge as critical needs.
Coping Mechanisms: Individuals employ diverse coping strategies, including mutual support networks, physical activities, and limited reliance on external mental health services. Financial and physical insecurities, compounded by the war, pose significant challenges.
Impact on Children: Concerns arise over the adultification of children, lack of educational resources due to online learning limitations, and difficulties in providing essential care for newborns.
Social Cohesion: Initially strong community solidarity has strained due to resource competition, perceived unequal aid distribution, and tensions between local residents and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Household dynamics experience increased strain, leading to conflicts within families.
Specific Issues
1. Access to paid work is a big issue across gender and age, with even temporary employment opportunities lacking. Those who receive pensions or other social payments stated the amounts are not enough to cover expenses for basic needs, necessitating that they or other family members must look for work regardless. Most participants who undertook paid work were involved in cleaning work, manual labor, and selling firewood or agricultural products – all temporary or unstable forms of paid work with typically low incomes.
2. Women are managing a continuously greater share of unpaid work. High levels of conscription in areas where FGDs took place mean that women are taking on unpaid work traditionally dominated by men, including home maintenance, gardening, firewood collection and chopping.
3. Rising prices and a lack of paid work, are deepening people’s financial difficulties and their ability to meet basic needs. There was a strong consensus that multipurpose cash assistance is typically the best modality to help people meet these diverse needs.
4. Healthcare is a major concern, particularly for elderly people. Elderly focus group participants stated they would rather reduce their food consumption as a coping mechanism than compromise their healthcare needs. Participants also complained about a lack of vaccinations and other medical support for newborns. Access to healthcare remains a large issue, especially closer to the front lines.
5. Participants in both male and female focus groups expressed a strong desire for greater psychosocial support (PSS) or “self support” groups, the latter highlighted as a response to a lack of access to healthcare facilities who could potentially provide psychosocial services.
6. The drastic reduction in services to rural villages, including the closure or reduced operation of post offices, lack of ATMs or ability to purchase items with bank cards, and public transport options, is particularly detrimental to elderly residents who are less able to cope with such changes.
7. Focus group participants in both oblasts stated their communities enjoyed a very high level of solidarity before and immediately after the 2022 invasion. There was a strong sense of mutual support between neighbors. These social relationships, however, have been put under increasing pressure over time, creating or exacerbating tensions both between and within households.
8. IDPs typically reported feeling cutoff from communication channels on services and humanitarian assistance, with a perception that local authorities heavily favored residents with such information. The cultural adjustment required for typically formally urban based IDPs to now live in rural villages was also cited as a dividing factor between IDPs and residents at times.
9. Humanitarian agencies should conduct some form of conflict analysis in their target areas to monitor such relationships and adjust programming approaches to each location. Mutual support arrangements were still holding up well in rural areas over the past years, and that IDPs had been relatively well integrated into these arrangements.
10. Relationships within households were also stated to be under significant pressure by focus group participants. The stressors created or exacerbated by the war, including the physical security risks, deteriorating financial situation, changing roles of men and women, and the choice to stay or move as the war continues were all impacting on how family members communicated with one another. Arguments and conflict were occurring much more often, and with a lack of counselling or MHPSS services.
Sources: Concern, WHH
UPDATES ON INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE
UK PM Rishi Sunak visits Kyiv after announcing rise in UK military aid to Ukraine to £2.5bn
Ukraine and the United Kingdom (UK) signed an agreement on bilateral security guarantees pursuant to the G7’s July 2023 joint declaration of support for Ukraine. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on January 12 and signed the UK-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation. The agreement covers joint efforts supporting Ukraine’s future accession to NATO, including comprehensive assistance to Ukraine to protect and restore its territorial integrity, preventing new Russian aggression against Ukraine, and supporting Ukraine’s integration into certain Western institutions. The agreement also states that the UK government will work with its domestic defense industrial base (DIB) to help develop Ukraine’s own DIB. The UK is the first country to sign a final agreement with Ukraine on the basis of the G7’s July 2023 joint declaration of support for Ukraine, and at least 24 non-G7 countries have joined the declaration
Sunak also announced a military assistance package valued at 2.5 billion GBP (roughly $3.19 billion), which includes long-range missiles, air defense components, artillery ammunition, and maritime security provisions, and at least 200 million GBP of this package is specifically allocated to producing and procuring drones, most of which the UK expects to produce.
Sunak also announced an additional 18 million GBP to support frontline humanitarian efforts and fortify Ukraine’s energy infrastructure against Russian strikes. Sunak reiterated the UK’s commitment to long-term support for Ukraine and stated that the new UK-Ukraine security pact will last ”100 years or more.”
At least £200m will be spent on hi-tech combat drones, most of which will be made in Britain. It represents the largest delivery of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by any country, Downing Street said. They will include long-range strike drones, capable of hitting Russian targets well beyond the frontline, and maritime drones, which Ukraine has deployed successfully against Moscow’s Black Sea fleet.
The new financial pledge, however, represents only an incremental increase in UK bilateral assistance. It is a fraction of the $60bn in US funding which Republicans in Congress are currently blocking. Zelenskiy said 0n Friday that he was optimistic aid from Washington would arrive. The EU, meanwhile, has so far delivered only 300,000 of 1m artillery shells promised last year.
Sources: The Guardian
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European Commission and other European countries filling in the gap
The European Commission has already allocated €1.5bn but wants to double the amount, said Breton, who earlier this week broached the idea of a €100bn European defence fund. He said this would be a matter for the next commission, due to be appointed at the end of this yea
Switzerland and Ukraine will host peace formula talks at Davos on Sunday. It is the latest in a series of meetings to rally support for Ukraine’s peace plan and will be the fourth of its kind and the biggest yet.
Top defence officials from Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania signed a memorandum of understanding in Istanbul establishing the Mine Countermeasures Naval Group in the Black Sea (MCM Black Sea), which will oversee de-mining operations in the Black Sea to ensure safe waters after Russia’s war in Ukraine.
On the other hand, US National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby stated on January 11 that the US has suspended security assistance to Ukraine and will not resume sending aid to Ukraine until the US Congress approves funding. Kirby stated that the US provided the last package of aid to Ukraine that the US had enough funding for, which was a $250 million security assistance package announced on December 27, 2023.
Sources: The Guardian
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Pritzker, US business representatives meet with Shmyhal, infrastructure minister
U.S. Special Representative for Economic Recovery in Ukraine Penny Pritzker and American businessmen arrived in Kyiv on Jan. 12, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Sept. 14 the creation of a U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery and added that Pritzker would assume the role. She has previously visited Ukraine after her appointment and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top leaders.
On Jan. 12, Pritzker met with top Ukrainian officials, including Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.
According to Stefanchuk, their discussions concerned further financial and military assistance from the U.S. The speaker also underscored the importance of reforms that Ukraine is undertaking as part of its obligations to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the U.S., the EU, and other donors.
Discussing Ukraine's recovery efforts, the parties addressed assistance to Ukraine's private sector and ways to attract investors. Stefanchuk also noted that confiscating Russian sovereign assets frozen in the West could play a major role in the recovery.
Source: Kyiv Independent
STATUS OF THE CONFLICT
(as of 11 January 2023)
The reported concentration of the Russian military’s entire combat-capable ground force in Ukraine and ongoing Russian force generation efforts appear to allow Russian forces to conduct routine operational level rotations in Ukraine. Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) stated on January 11 that Russian forces have 462,000 personnel in Ukraine and that this represents the entire land component of the Russian military.
The GUR stated that most Russian units in Ukraine are manned at between 92 and 95 percent of their intended end strength and that the size of the Russian grouping in Ukraine allows Russian forces to conduct rotations throughout the theater. The GUR stated that Russian forces withdraw units that are at 50 percent or less of their intended end strength to rear areas and return them to the front following recovery and replenishment.[3] Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev stated on January 11 that the Russian military has successfully replenished Russian forces in Ukraine through an ongoing crypto-mobilization effort that generated over 500,000 new personnel in 2023.
The apparent Russian ability to generate forces at a rate equal to Russian losses likely provides Russian forces the ability to replenish units that the Russian command has withdrawn from the line due to degradation and later return these replenished units to the front. Russian forces maintain the initiative throughout eastern Ukraine, and the absence of Ukrainian counteroffensive operations likely removes pressure on operational deployments that had previously partially restrained the Russians‘ ability to conduct rotations.
Russian forces have not seized the battlefield initiative in Kherson Oblast, however, and appear to be degrading units and formations operating near the Ukrainian bridgehead on the east (left) bank of the Dnipro River without making apparent efforts to conduct operational level rotations (although they do appear to conduct tactical-level rotations). Russian forces have conducted several regroupings during localized offensive operations in the Avdiivka, Bakhmut, Lyman, and Kupyansk directions since early October 2023, which likely provided Russian forces time to conduct the rotations.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that its air defenses shot down 10 Ukrainian air-launched missiles over Crimea and 10 over the Russian city of Belgorod, as both sides in the war pounded each other with long-range aerial strikes continuing late into the night while fighting along the front line remained largely deadlocked.
The White House, meanwhile, said U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Moscow has acquired ballistic missiles from North Korea and fired at least one of them into Ukraine on Dec. 30. It also is seeking close-range ballistic missiles from Iran, Washington said.
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US and allies accuse Russia of using North Korean missiles against Ukraine, violating UN sanctions. The United States, Ukraine and six allies accused Russia on Wednesday of using North Korean ballistic missiles and launchers in a series of devastating aerial attacks against Ukraine, in violation of U.N. sanctions.
Their joint statement, issued ahead of a Security Council meeting on Ukraine, cited the use of North Korean weapons during waves of strikes on Dec. 30, Jan. 2 and Jan. 6 .
The eight countries — also including France, the United Kingdom, Japan, Malta, South Korea and Slovenia — accused Russia of exploiting its position as a veto-wielding permanent member of the council and warned that “each violation makes the world a much more dangerous place.”
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Ukraine has come under a barrage of Russian missile and drone attacks in the early hours of Saturday, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
Of some 37 missiles and three drones launched by Moscow, Ukraine managed to down eight missiles. Most of the missiles used were extremely fast-moving ballistic types, which are much harder to shoot down.
"It should be noted that more than 20 of all the listed [weapons] which were not included in the number of the downed, did not reach their targets as a result of active countermeasures by electronic warfare," the Air Force statement said.
Earlier this week, the Air Force's spokesman had said that Kyiv now suffered from an air defense missiles deficit.
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Representatives from 83 countries met to discuss the implementation of Ukraine’s Peace Formula on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 14. Ukrainian Presidential Administration Chief of Staff also met with Romanian State Secretary to discuss bilateral security guarantees pursuant to the G7’s July 2023 joint declaration of support for Ukraine, making Romania the 9th country to begin bilateral security negotiations with Ukraine. Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and Yermak noted the importance of involving China in peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Sources: ISW (January 11)
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Civilian casualties across Ukraine since 29 December
On 2 January 2024, the Russian Federation launched waves of missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, targeting Kyiv and Kharkiv, two of the largest cities in the country. Preliminary reports from Ukrainian authorities indicate that the attacks killed at least five civilians and injured 130, damaging homes and civilian infrastructure.
Approximately 100 missiles were launched at Kyiv, reportedly killing at least four civilians and injuring 68 (including two children) in the city and surrounding areas. Falling debris from intercepted missiles also damaged residential buildings and a supermarket, along with critical civilian infrastructure such as gas and electricity substations. Consequently, five districts of the city were temporarily left without electricity, heating, and water.
In Kharkiv, several missiles reportedly struck the city center, causing substantial damage to multiple residential buildings. Preliminary reports indicate that at least one civilian was killed and 62 were injured (including six children).
The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) visited Solomianskyi district in Kyiv city and neighboring Vyshneve town, and spoke with residents whose homes had been destroyed or badly damaged.
Many are currently sheltering in a nearby school, which was also damaged in the attack. In addition to the loss of lives and life-changing injuries, residents described the pain of losing their homes and all their personal belongings.
Since the wave of attacks by the Russian Federation across the country, beginning on 29 December until today, HRMMU has recorded 90 civilian deaths, including two children, and 421 civilians injured in 12 oblasts. This includes shelling and missile attacks, which reportedly killed eight civilians, and injured 29 in areas of Donetsk oblast occupied by the Russian Federation. Each civilian casualty will be independently verified by HRMMU.
Source: United Nations
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Special report on Ukrainian children removed to occupied Crimea
Russian occupation officials appear to be deliberately censoring information about Ukrainian children whom Russian authorities have illegally removed to occupied Crimea. A Reuters special report published on January 11 details how Russian occupation officials and Russian authorities facilitate the removal and deportation of Ukrainian children from orphanages and children's homes under the direct guidance of Kremlin-appointed Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova.
Reuters found that Lvova-Belova personally visited a children's home in occupied Henichesk, Kherson Oblast, in early 2023 and encouraged Ukrainian children, many of whom were separated from their parents due to the war or other circumstances but are not officially orphans, to obtain Russian passports so that Russian families can adopt the children.
Reuters also identified Crimea occupation head Sergey Aksyonov as directly involved in removing Ukrainian children from Kherson Oblast to children's homes in Crimea, consistent with ISW's assessment about the involvement of Russian occupation authorities in the removal and deportation process.
According to Reuters, an unspecified Crimean occupation official stated that all information about Ukrainian orphans in Crimea is "strictly confidential" on Aksyonov’s direct order and that all requests about children are immediately reported to the occupation administration.
Reuters reporters have spent six months investigating the fates of missing Ukrainian children who have no relatives to advocate for them because they are orphans or are otherwise separated from their families. The stories of these children have remained largely hidden.
The Special Report of Reuters may be accessed at this link:
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/ukraine-crisis-children/
Source: ISW (January 12)
HOLY FATHER ON UKRAINE
Angelus - January 14, 2024 (Sunday)
And let us not forget those who suffer the cruelty of war in so many parts of the world, especially in Ukraine, Palestine and Israel. At the beginning of the year, we exchanged wishes of peace, but weapons continue to kill and destroy. Let us pray that those who have power over these conflicts reflect on the fact that war is not the way to resolve them, because it sows death among civilians and destroys cities and infrastructure. In other words, today war is in itself a crime against humanity. Let us not forget this: war is in itself a crime against humanity. Peoples need peace! The world needs peace! I heard, a few minutes ago, on the programme “A Sua Immagine”, Father Faltas, vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land in Jerusalem: he spoke about educating for peace. We must educate for peace. We can see that we – humanity as a whole – are not yet educated enough to stop all war. Let us always pray for this grace: to educate for peace.
E non dimentichiamo quanti soffrono la crudeltà della guerra in tante parti del mondo, specialmente in Ucraina, in Palestina e in Israele. All’inizio dell’anno ci siamo scambiati auguri di pace, ma le armi hanno continuato ad uccidere e distruggere. Preghiamo affinché quanti hanno potere su questi conflitti riflettano sul fatto che la guerra non è la via per risolverli, perché semina morte tra i civili e distrugge città e infrastrutture. In altre parole, oggi la guerra è in sé stessa un crimine contro l’umanità. Non dimentichiamo questo: la guerra è in sé stessa un crimine contro l’umanità. I popoli hanno bisogno di pace! Il mondo ha bisogno di pace! Ho sentito, pochi minuti fa, nel programma “A Sua Immagine”, padre Faltas, Vicario della Custodia di Terra Santa a Gerusalemme: lui parlava di educare alla pace. Dobbiamo educare alla pace. Si vede che non siamo ancora – l’umanità intera – con un’educazione tale da fermare ogni guerra. Preghiamo sempre per questa grazia: educare alla pace.
Links to the full text in ENGLISH and ITALIANGeneral Audience - January 10, 2024
Rinnoviamo la nostra vicinanza con la preghiera alla cara popolazione Ucraina così provata e a quanti soffrono l’orrore della guerra in Palestina e Israele, come pure in altre parti del mondo. Preghiamo, preghiamo per questa gente che è sotto la guerra e preghiamo il Signore perché semini nel cuore delle Autorità dei Paesi il seme della pace.
Links to the full text in ITALIANNEWS
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MEMBER PHOTOS
Since the start of the international armed conflict in Ukraine, the organizations of the Jesuits have served and accompanied 56,042 people fleeing violence. Coordinated by the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Europe and the Xavier Network, and in collaboration with JRS country offices, NGOs and local partners, the Society of Jesus has provided 82,111 short-term and medium-term assistance activities in areas such as emergency aid, shelter, psychosocial support, education, and integration. (Courtesy of JRS)