Ukraine: Humanitarian Impact Situation Report (As of 3:00 p.m. (EET) on 15 March 2022)

This report is produced by OCHA Ukraine in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 3 p.m. (EET) 14 March to 3 p.m. (EET) 15 March.

KEY FIGURES (FLASH APPEAL 2022)

12M people in need
(Source: 2022 Flash Appeal)

6M people targeted
(Source: 2022 Flash Appeal)

$1.1B funding required (US$)
(Source: 2022 Flash Appeal)

20% funded
(Source: FTS)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Amid escalating hostilities across Ukraine, on 14 March, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted a bill to the Ukrainian Parliament to extend martial law in the country for another month starting on 26 March. Similarly, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko imposed a curfew from 8 p.m. on 15 March to 7 a.m. on 17 March as clashes intensify in and around the capital.

• As of 14 March, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reports at least 1,834 civilian causalities, including 691 killed, although the actual civilian toll in Ukraine is likely much higher than the officially reported figures.

• The civilian toll following a missile strike on a TV tower in Rivnenska oblast (north-west) on 14 March has now reportedly climbed to at least 28 people, including 19 killed, figures that may increase in the coming hours.

• Municipal authorities in Kharkiv (north-east) – the country’s second largest city – report that 600 residential houses have been completely destroyed since the military offensive began on 24 February, leaving thousands of people homeless amid harsh winter conditions.

• More than 200,000 people are now without access to water across several localities in Donetska oblast, including Bilozerske, Bilytske, Hirnyk, Myrnohrad, Novohrodivka, Pokrovsk, Rodynske, Selydove, Ukrainsk, Vodianske and partially in Dobropillia, due to interrupted power supply at the Karlivska Filter Station.

• According to a recent survey by the European Business Association, as of 14 March, 42 per cent of small businesses in Ukraine are no longer operating, and 31 per cent have temporarily suspended operations but plan to resume them when possible, with only 13 per cent managing to continue operations uninterrupted amid the current circumstances. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that in the best-case scenario, the Ukrainian economy will contract by at least 10 per cent this year.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Amid escalating hostilities across Ukraine, on 14 March, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted a bill to the Ukrainian Parliament to extend martial law in the country for another month starting on 26 March. The civilian toll continues to rise, while critical infrastructure, including homes, schools, hospitals, roads and bridges, continue to be damaged and destroyed at an alarming rate, significantly disrupting everyday life and access to critical services. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 13 March, the number of verified incidents of attacks on health care facilities in Ukraine has risen to 31, resulting in 12 deaths and 34 injuries.

Between 4 a.m. on 24 February and midnight on 14 March, OHCHR reports at least 1,834 civilian causalities, including 691 killed. The actual civilian toll in Ukraine is likely much higher than the officially reported figures from OHCHR, as many unconfirmed reports of civilian casualties continue to be corroborated.

The civilian toll following a missile strike on a TV tower in Rivnenska oblast (north-west) on 14 March has now reportedly climbed to at least 28, including 19 people killed, figures that may increase in the coming hours as search-and-rescue crews continue to dig through the rubble in search of survivors.

On 15 March, the sound of heavy explosions rang out across Kyiv for a second consecutive day. Residential neighbourhoods in the capital, including Darnytskyy (left bank of the Dnieper River), Podilskyy and Sviatoshynskyy districts (right bank), were reportedly hard-hit by shelling that left a number of homes and apartment buildings engulfed by flames early on Tuesday morning.

Moreover, Kyivska oblast authorities report continued hostilities affecting civilian populations and housing in Borodianka, Irpin and Makariv, adding that the situation in the Ivankivska, Dymerska and Poliska hromadas (municipalites) remains critical. The settlements of Irpin and Kotsiubynske have been completely cut off from the gas supply, while Morkets and Zavorychi have been left without communications amid ongoing hostilities. Increasingly intense clashes in and around the capital led Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko to impose a curfew from 8 p.m. on 15 March to 7 a.m. on 17 March.

Already intense fighting in eastern Ukraine has further escalated in recent days, with dire humanitarian consequences in the hardest-hit areas. Early on 14 March, five civilians were reportedly killed, and three others injured in Avdiivka, Kramatorsk, Petrivske and Toretsk (Donetska oblast), while the number of casualties in Mariupol and Volnovakha (Donetska oblast) cannot be confirmed at the moment due to ongoing hostilities. As of 14 March, OHCHR also reports 751 casualties in Donetska and Luhanska oblasts (134 killed and 448 injured in Government-controlled areas, GCA, and 39 killed and 130 injured in non-Government-controlled areas, NGCA) and 1,083 civilian casualties in other regions of Ukraine.

After consecutive delays over several days, the Mariupol City Council announced that as of 2 p.m. (EET) on 15 March, around 2,000 private vehicles left the conflict-ravaged city en route to Zaporizhzhia (Zaporizka oblast, south-east) where affected people will be able to get the aid they desperately need. Municipal authorities add that another 2,000 cars are parked at the entrance of the city, awaiting their opportunity to leave. Local officials say around 350,000 people are still trapped in the encircled city, most of whom are living in dire conditions. There are unconfirmed reports that aid has reached affected people in Mariupol; however, at the time of writing, the kind and quantity of relief supplies received cannot be verified.

The Russian Federation reports it has so far evacuated around 259,000 people from Ukraine towards Russia, including more than 11,370 people on 14 March. The UN does not have means to verify the actual numbers of people evacuated.

On 14 March, airstrikes hit residential areas in Kramatorsk, according to Donetska oblast authorities. That same day, 17 apartment buildings and homes in Donetsk, Horlivka and Yasynuvata (Donetska oblast, NGCA) suffered varying degrees of damage, while 13 infrastructure facilities, including six schools, were reportedly damaged in Betmanove, Donetsk and Yasynuvata (Donetska oblast, NGCA). More than 200,000 people are now without access to water across several localities in Donetska oblast (GCA), including Bilytske, Hirnyk, Myrnohrad, Novohrodivka, Pokrovsk, Rodynske, Selydove, Ukrainsk, Vodianske and partially in Dobropillia, due to interrupted power supply at the Karlivska Filter Station.

In neighbouring Kharkivska oblast, intense fighting is ongoing in Balaklia, Izium, and Derhachi. In Kharkiv – the country’s second largest city – municipal authorities report that 600 residential houses have been completely destroyed since the military offensive began on 24 February, leaving thousands of people homeless amid harsh winter conditions. Additionally, around 50 schools and several health facilities, including a maternity hospital, have been shelled in Kharkiv since 24 February.

On top of the dire human costs, the ongoing hostilities are generating significant socio-economic repercussions that will affect the coping capacity and resilience of residents of Ukraine – more than 43 per cent of whom were poor in 2018 – a figure projected to have increased significantly due to the multi-faceted impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on livelihoods.

According to a recent survey by the European Business Association, as of 14 March, 42 per cent of small businesses in Ukraine are no longer operating, and 31 per cent have temporarily suspended operations but plan to resume them when possible, with only 13 per cent managing to continue operations uninterrupted amid the current circumstances. IMF estimates that in the best-case scenario – a prompt resolution to the situation and substantial donor support – the Ukrainian economy will contract by at least 10 per cent this year, exacerbating an already-difficult socio-economic situation characterized by growing inflation, high gas import prices and the effects of the recent Omicron-driven surge in COVID-19.