Ukraine: Humanitarian Impact of Intensified Hostilities in Donetska and Sumska Oblasts - Flash Update #7 (6 Sep 2024) [EN/UK]

HIGHLIGHTS

• Intensive attacks and shifts in the front line led to the closure of basic public services, forcing people to leave high-risk locations in Donetska Oblast.
• As evacuations continue, 26,000 residents remain in the town of Pokrovsk. Authorities opened a new evacuation hub in Kramatorsk, Donetska Oblast, and a transit site was opened in Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovska Oblast.
• Humanitarian organizations continue to provide multi-sectoral support to people in the affected oblasts and assist those leaving for safer parts of Ukraine.

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

Every day, between 2,000 to 3,000 people are leaving front-line hromadas in Donetska Oblast and those bordering the Russian Federation in Sumska Oblast as the security situation continues to deteriorate. While people are leaving the two oblasts seeking safety in other parts of Ukraine, deadly attacks with multiple civilian casualties, including children, have been reported from across the country in recent days, including in Lviv and Poltava, which host many displaced people.

An estimated 24,000 people, including 2,000 children, left Pokrovsk Town in the last 10 days, according to the police. This is almost half of the residents of Pokrovsk at the start of the mandatory evacuation on 20 August. At the same time, some 26,000 to 27,000 residents, among them over 1,000 children, remain in the town and some 40,000 in Pokrovska Hromada.

The escalating hostilities led to the closure of basic public services and many private businesses in the affected areas. In Pokrovsk, most public services are closed, with only some shops and pharmacies functional. Banks also ceased operations in the town, with only a few ATMs still open. Starting from 5 September, evacuation trains that previously departed daily from Pokrovsk Town will now leave from Pavlohrad Town in Dnipropetrovska Oblast. Some 2,000 people remain in the neighbouring town of Myrnohrad, and 1,700 people in Toretsk, where humanitarian access is extremely limited or non-existent.

Due to security concerns, on 4 September, the authorities approved a mandatory evacuation of children and their caregivers from additional 40 towns and villages in Pokrovskyi and Kramatorskyi raions in Donetska Oblast.

Local authorities opened a new evacuation hub in Kramatorsk in Donetska Oblast last week to support people evacuating from hromadas around Chasiv Yar and Kostiantynivka. While there are regular trains from Kramatorsk, evacuees—mainly families with children—remain in the area while waiting for buses or government-organized evacuation trains to western Ukraine, particularly in Zakarpatska Oblast, where they will be supported upon arrival by governmental services and humanitarian partners. In Dnipropetrovska Oblast, a newly opened transit site in Pavlohrad has become the main reception point for evacuees, receiving some 200 people from Donetska Oblast over past the few days.

Increasing hostilities have led to the relocation of eight hospitals to safer locations outside of Donetska Oblast within the past two weeks, according to the Health Cluster. These hospitals sought support from health partners to facilitate their move. Concerns for the safety of humanitarian workers have prompted many partners in Donetska Oblast to relocate to Kramatorsk and Lyman. In Sumska Oblast, the Sumy Regional Blood Centre has reported a shortage of blood donations due to increased needs caused by increased attacks. The relocation of health facilities may further exacerbate the growing need for health services for those who remain.

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Humanitarian partners continued to support evacuees from front-line hromadas in Donetska Oblast and border hromadas in Sumska Oblast. Support includes immediate assistance at transit centres, accommodation, transportation and relocation to safer parts of the country. Assistance is also provided to the residents affected by the latest attacks in addition to regular humanitarian programmes.