In 2024, a steady stream of attacks due to the war in Ukraine posed significant challenges and impacted the ability of humanitarian organizations to reach the people affected with emergency assistance and services. The rapidly evolving dynamics of the war—particularly along the front lines, cross-border escalations and the use of new weapons and tactics—combined with operational constraints caused by military mobilization and some movement restrictions, hindered the agile and timely delivery of aid in areas where hostilities intensified. Throughout 2024, shifts along the front lines, mainly in Donetska and Kharkivska oblasts intensified in the second half of the year and restricted humanitarian partners’ access to areas where up to 400,000 civilians had received humanitarian assistance. Humanitarian activities in territories occupied by the Russian Federation have been minimal and remain extremely restricted.
By the end of 2024, humanitarian agencies and partners reported 310 incidents affecting humanitarian operations in Ukraine, marking a 20 per cent increase compared to 2023. The increase may be attributed in part to higher engagement from humanitarian partners. The primary drivers of access impediments were evenly split between security-related and administrative challenges. Reports of violence against humanitarian personnel, assets and facilities rose by 20 per cent, amounting to 108 incidents. Some 60 per cent of these occurred within 10 kilometres of the front line, where humanitarian activities faced increasing constraints due to the increased use of first-person view drone strikes. Most reports were from Khersonska Oblast, which had more than one-third of all incidents. Also, ongoing frequent missile strikes, and the use of glide bombs impacted civilians, including humanitarian workers, in large population cities such as Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and particularly Kharkiv, where 14 attack incidents disrupted humanitarian operations.
During the year, the reported number of humanitarian workers killed or injured marginally increased to 53 from 50 in 2023. Some 10 aid workers were killed in the line of duty. In two separate attacks, five aid workers were killed and six others sustained injuries on 1 February in Khersonska Oblast and 12 September in Donetska Oblast. The two incidents prompted respective regional authorities to introduce measures regulating the movement of humanitarian organizations in high-risk areas, in addition to a temporary suspension of humanitarian programme activities by the affected organizations. Humanitarian partners reported 22 incidents impeding their movement within the country, eight of which occurred in the last two months of 2024 in Sumska Oblast.
Humanitarian access to people in need also faced growing challenges due to administrative constraints, military mobilization and, to a lesser extent, visa-related issues, which affected staffing capacity and overall operations. Reports on cases showed an increase from 35 per cent in 2023 to 47 per cent in 2024, amounting to 145 incidents. Whereas visa delays and denials decreased significantly from 32 in 2023 to 18 in 2024, some reports still coming throughout the year.
Disclaimer
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.