It has been almost three years since the 24 February 2021 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has killed thousands of civilians and destroying vital infrastructure, putting the economy under enormous strain.
The UN has recorded more than 28,000 civilian casualties and over 10,000 deaths, but acknowledges that the actual toll is very likely to be higher.
As the frontline shifts and hostilities increase, more than 14 million Ukrainians are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance. The conflict is responsible for the largest refugee crisis since the Second World War. Over 6.3 million refugees have fled to neighbouring countries and 3.7 million people are internally displaced.
That means nearly one-third of the population has been forced to flee their homes, including more than half of all Ukrainian children. Some 30 per cent of the jobs that existed before the invasion have been erased, and the population has faced tax hikes and funding shortages, not to mention frequent power outages resulting from attacks on energy infrastructure.
The capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, was heavily targeted in the early days of the war. (file)
UN aid lifeline: Millions supported amidst devastation
Throughout the conflict, the UN has been at the core of relief operations, working closely with Ukrainian authorities, local partner organizations and volunteers to make sure that assistance reaches those who need it, particularly in frontline communities.
In every part of the country, emergency assistance is mobilized in the wake of attacks. UN agencies are helping to demine, remove debris, provide basic services, find shelter for displaced people and provide healthcare, including mental health and psycho-social support. Last year alone, the World Food Programme (WFP) supported 1.6 million Ukrainians each month by providing food and cash assistance, demining agricultural land and supporting feeding programmes in schools and other institutions, whilst the UN humanitarian office reached 2.6 million people with health-related assistance over the course of 2024.
Despite the ongoing bombardments, Ukraine is rebuilding. . Dozens of projects are in the pipeline, focusing on the construction and repair of schools, kindergartens, hospitals, social housing, heating and water systems, and other social infrastructure.
Efforts to rebuild damaged energy infrastructure are not deterred by the continuing attacks. UN agencies and partners are providing over 500 MW of critical power generation and solar capacity, to ensure access to electricity, heating, and water.
There has been a decisive focus on decentralization to ensure that every region, including small towns and villages, is less reliant on electricity supplies from large, centralized power stations, reducing vulnerability to blackouts in the case of an airstrike. Whilst the destruction of a large power plant could paralyse a wide area and cut off tens of thousands of people from the grid, a decentralized system with a large number of small, renewable plants is better able to resist an attack: solar panels hit in a bombardment can be replaced within a single day. The UN Development Programme is fostering this new approach, assisting with everything from contract negotiations to training in solar panel installation.
A debris recycling initiative in Ukraine (file)
‘The future starts as soon as sirens stop’
Despite the large numbers who have left the country, many of those who have stayed are content to remain, according to senior UN officials. For Matthias Schmale, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, the willingness of the population to endure and even thrive throughout the conflict is a remarkable sign of their resilience.
Speaking to UN News, Mr. Schmale expressed his hope that the UN’s commitment to support Ukrainians for as long as needed would give them hope for a more dignified future. “I see that people start rebuilding as soon as possible, whether it’s businesses, homes or lives. The future starts as soon as sirens stop. People don’t want to leave.”
The strength of the population is also praised by Kenan Madi, Chief of Field Operations at UNICEF Ukraine. “Despite the challenges, despite everything they are going through, they all want to stay in their area, in their villages. They don’t want to leave,” he told UN News in a recent interview. No one is dreaming about leaving. It’s the opposite. Everyone is dreaming about staying. It gives me the assurance that hopefully when this war stops, the Ukrainian population is ready to immediately start rebuilding in a better way and build back better”.
The characterization of Ukrainians as a resilient people goes beyond the anecdotal: a large scale UN-backed 2024 study, based on in-depth interviews with over 7,000 respondents in all of the territories under government control, showed that Ukrainians continue to demonstrate a strong sense of national identity and belonging to their homeland. The findings highlight the strength of Ukraine’s national identity as an important unifying force in the face of the ongoing war.
Solid fuel is delivered to families in Derhachi, Kharkiv region, near the front line.
A costly path to recovery
Nevertheless, the challenges facing the country are enormous, and extremely costly. The full cost of reconstruction and recovery is now estimated to be around $411 billion, according to a joint assessment by the Ukrainian government, World Bank, European Commission and the UN.
With winter temperatures dropping well below freezing, the UN’s humanitarian winter response plan aims to address emergency needs, including providing solid fuel, cash assistance, and water system repairs. Some $500 million is required to fully implement these efforts by March 2025.
In the coming days, UN humanitarian officials will travel to Ukraine to assess the latest situation, ahead of the launch of a fresh humanitarian appeal. Additionally, a broader humanitarian appeal for $2.2 billion is being prepared for 2025 to assist an estimated 12.7 million people.
