Attachments
The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) was activated in Ukraine on 3 March 2022 following the escalation of armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. ETC SitReps are distributed every month.
Highlights
• On 17 February, the ETC successfully completed the setup of the Remote Security and Information Operations Centre (RSIOC) system with support from a telecommunications specialist from WFP’s interagency telecommunications security standards body, {TESS+}. The RSIOC system allows UNDSS security officers based in Mukachevo to monitor the radio networks in Dnipro, Kyiv and Odesa and communicate with UN staff in the field.
• The ETC conducted an assessment of the inter-agency radio programming needs in the country. In response to increased demand for ETC support, a ticketing system has been created for inter-agency services requests, which can be channeled through the ukraine.etcservicedesk@wfp.org email address.
• In cooperation with Clear Global, the organization providing translation and content revision for the ETC Chatbot, the ETC organized a ‘plain language’ training for members of the Accountability to Affected Populations Working Group and other interagency staff. The two-day training provided practical materials and resources to assist staff in communicating clearly with the affected population in the Ukrainian language.
Overview
The estimated toll of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine surpassed 18,955 civilian casualties, including 7,199 deaths as of 13 February 2023, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reports that 5.4 million people are internally displaced in Ukraine due to the conflict as of 23 January 2023, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) puts the total number of Ukrainian refugees recorded across Europe at over 8 million as of 21 February 2023.
Impact on telecommunications
The continued attacks on national infrastructure across Ukraine have led to significant damage to national telecommunications infrastructure, resulting in severe communications blackouts across the country. In many cases, disruption to electrical power supplies supporting telecommunications equipment has resulted in service failures, including of ETC services.
Several reports have been received of severe disruptions to satellite telephony services in areas close to the frontlines. The ETC is exploring solutions to provide responders deploying on frontline missions with a hybrid of services and equipment.