Ukraine: Humanitarian Impact Situation Report (As of 3:00 p.m. (EET), 8 March 2022)

This report is produced by OCHA Ukraine in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 3 p.m. (EET) 7 March to 3 p.m. (EET) 8 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)

7% funded
(Source: FTS)

HIGHLIGHTS

• On 7 March, Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), briefed the United Nations Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. He called on all parties to the conflict to allow the safe passage of civilians out of hardest-hit areas and safe delivery of humanitarian supplies into those areas. The ERC informed the Council that his office sent a team to Moscow to work on humanitarian civil-military coordination.

• Clashes continue around Kyiv oblast as Russian forces move closer to the Ukrainian capital. On 7 March, at least 13 people were reportedly killed after an air strike hit a bread factory in Makariv – around 50 km west of Kyiv – according to local emergency services. Governmental officials say more than 4,000 people urgently need to be evacuated from hotspots outside Kyiv.

• After a third round of talks between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, both sides agreed on “safe passage” for the evacuation of civilians and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid in the north-eastern city of Sumy – home to around 264,700 inhabitants. At the time of writing, it remains unclear if evacuations or safe passage of humanitarian aid has gotten underway in Sumy.

• In less than two weeks, more than 2 million people have been forced to flee to neighbouring countries, generating evergrowing protection risks, including gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual exploitation and abuse, as the majority of people on the move are women and children. The rapid and massive influx of displaced people in western Ukraine and neighbouring countries is overwhelming response capacities.

• In response to the immense health needs generated by the ongoing crisis, the Ministry of Health says more than 400,000 tons of medical supplies have been delivered to Ukraine by neighbouring governments and humanitarian partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

• The World Food Programme (WFP) projects an exponential rise in food insecurity across all oblasts of Ukraine. Considering that the Russian Federation and Ukraine are responsible for almost one-third of the global wheat trade, the unfolding crisis could have dire implications for global food security.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

The destruction of civilian objects continues to be reported. According to the Government of Ukraine, relentless shelling across the country has damaged or destroyed more than 210 schools, at least 34 hospitals and more than 1,500 residential buildings, figures that continue to climb with each passing day.

In less than two weeks, more than 2 million people have had to flee to neighbouring countries, generating ever-growing protection risks, including GBV and sexual exploitation and abuse, as the majority of people on the move are women and children. The rapid and massive influx of displaced people in western Ukraine and refugees to neighbouring countries is risks overwhelming national response capacities. Lviv, a city of around 721,300 people in western Ukraine, is estimated by the Government of Ukraine to be currently hosting approximately 200,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) – more than a quarter of its population. The city’s Mayor warned that Lviv is facing a breaking point in its capacity to absorb any more displaced people.

After 13 days of intense fighting, civilian casualties continue to mount across the country. Between 4 a.m. on 24 February and midnight on 7 March, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reports at least 1,335 civilian casualties, including 474 killed, although the actual number of civilian casualties is likely much higher. OHCHR reports 545 casualties in Donetska and Luhanska oblasts (72 killed and 337 injured in Government-controlled areas, GCA, and 24 killed and 112 injured in non-Government-controlled areas, NGCA) and 790 civilian casualties in other regions of Ukraine.

On 7 March, Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), called on all parties to allow the safe passage of civilians out of affected areas and safe passage of humanitarian supplies into those areas. During his address to the Council, the ERC stated that his office sent a team to Moscow to work on enhanced humanitarian civil-military coordination.

After the third round of talks between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, both sides agreed on “safe passage” for the evacuation of civilians and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid in the north-eastern city of Sumy – home to around 264,700 inhabitants. The Ukrainian side also requested “safe passage” for civilians and humanitarian goods in and out of the cities of Mariupol, Volnovakha (Donetska oblast, GCA) towards Zaporizhzhia (Zaporizka oblast, south-east); from Kyiv and Kyivska oblast towards western Ukraine, and Kharkiv and Kharkivska oblast (east) towards the west of the country.

These routes are reportedly yet to be agreed upon with the Russian Federation. In addition, the Russian Federation informed that at least 174,000 persons have been evacuated from affected areas of Ukraine.

In Mariupol, the long-awaited evacuation of civilians was once again postponed as hostilities raged on. The military encirclement of the city – now on its 10th consecutive day – has left hundreds of thousands of people without water and electricity, while the most basic supplies, like food and medicines, are quickly running out. The humanitarian situation on the ground remains dire.

Attacks are happening at a greater rate and scale, in major cities across Ukraine, including Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv and Mykolaiv, and in the multiple locations in Donetska and Luhanska oblasts, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without water, electricity, gas and telecommunications. In certain parts of the country, especially in cities that remain under ceaseless military encirclement, like Mariupol and Volnovakha (Donetska oblast, GCA), access to food and critical health services has become extremely limited.

Kyivska oblast continues to be a hotbed of violent clashes as forces of the Russian Federation move closer to the Ukrainian capital. The towns of Bucha, Hostomel, Irpin, Makariv and Vorzel on the outskirts of Kyiv have recently witnessed increasingly intense fighting, with devastating humanitarian consequences. On 7 March, at least 13 people were reportedly killed after an air strike hit a bread factory in Makariv, according to local emergency services.

While 2,000 people have been evacuated from Bucha, Hostomel and Irpin, Governmental officials say more than 4,000 people urgently need to be evacuated in hotspots outside Kyiv. As the railway track and bridge leading out of Irpin – around 25 km north-west of Kyiv – have been destroyed, people are reportedly evacuating the town on foot, putting their lives at risk by fleeing amid ongoing shelling.

As fighting rages on across certain parts of Ukraine, medical care for hundreds of thousands of people can no longer be guaranteed. Insecurity Insight reported at least two dozen incidents where explosive weapons damaged health facilities in the first week of the hostilities alone. Trauma and injuries in the hardest-hit areas are exacerbated by a lack of access to health facilities and health professionals who themselves are increasingly affected by growing displacement and insecurity, and a limited access to life-saving medicine and supplies. In response to the immense health needs generated by the ongoing crisis, the Ministry of Health says more than 400,000 tons of medical supplies have been delivered by neighbouring governments and humanitarian partners, including WHO and UNICEF.

Many communities across Ukraine remain cut off from food and other basic supplies. Even before the current escalation. 1.1 million people were in need of food and livelihood assistance in eastern Ukraine alone. As hostilities affect new localities with each passing day, potentially displacing people multiple times and severely disrupting livelihoods, WFP projects an exponential rise in food insecurity across all oblasts of Ukraine. Considering that the Russian Federation and Ukraine are responsible for almost one-third of the global wheat trade, the unfolding crisis could have dire implications for global food security.