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Ukraine

Ukraine: Humanitarian Access Snapshot (January - June 2023) [EN/UK]

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OVERVIEW

Intensified hostilities and fighting along the entire front line, as well as impediments and obstacles imposed on aid organizations have further impacted humanitarian access in Ukraine in the first six months of 2023, making the context increasingly challenging and unpredictable. Between January and June 2023, nearly 100 incidents impacting humanitarian operations were reported, more than half of them with a moderate or severe impact on the delivery of assistance. This is an average of one incident every other day, highlighting the complex environment in which humanitarian organizations in Ukraine operate. At least 33 of these incidents involved acts of violence involving humanitarian personnel and assets, resulting in the suspension of crucial humanitarian activities. At least five humanitarian workers were killed in the line of duty in Ukraine in the first six months of 2023, compared to four fatalities recorded in all of 2022.

In front-line communities, where people live with the constant threat of shelling, it is difficult to implement regular humanitarian programming, therefore humanitarian actors organize the delivery of assistance through inter-agency convoys. Between January and June, 73 inter-agency convoys have been organized in these difficult to access areas, including 19 to front-line settlements in Khersonska and Dnipropetrovska oblasts affected by the 6 June destruction of Kakhovka Dam.

Humanitarians have lost access to people in areas where needs are acute.
Due to the shifts in the frontline and the deterioration of the security situation resulting from intensified hostilities, particularly during the initial quarter of this year, humanitarian partners have lost access to almost 40 settlements, which are now in areas under Russian military control. These areas were previously home to approximately 60,000 people before the conflict.

Access to areas under the military control of the Russian Federation continued to be extremely challenging, despite extensive efforts and ongoing engagements. The Kakhovka Dam disaster created urgent humanitarian needs due to the flooding on both sides of the Dnipro River, however access to the left bank of the river, in areas controlled by the Russian Federation was not permitted. Overall, access to the people in need of humanitarian assistance in areas under Russian military control remains very limited and not at the scale required.

Military conscription of humanitarian personnel and bureaucratic impediments have also been reported in areas under Ukrainian control. At least 59 aid workers have been conscripted since January 2023, at a moment when humanitarian organizations face challenges in recruiting specialized national staff. Additionally, at least 31 bureaucratic access incidents have been reported, including restrictions on personnel movement into and within the country, and operational interferences in humanitarian activities. In 2023, twenty-one humanitarian organizations reported the submission of 261 Ukrainian visa applications, mainly for the D7 category. Of these, 31 applications were rejected and 35 experienced delays. These organizations faced an additional 8 rejected Schengen visas and 29 Schengen visas were subject to delays. These factors introduce additional layers of complexity in the efficient delivery of aid.

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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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