Ukraine: Humanitarian Impact Situation Report (As of 5:00 p.m. (EET), 2 March 2022)

This report is produced by OCHA Ukraine in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 5 p.m. (EET) 1 March to 5 p.m. (EET) 2 March. The next report will be produced on 3 March.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Fighting, airstrikes, artillery shelling and overall violence across several parts of the country have killed 227 civilians, including 15 children. A further 525 civilians, including 28 children have been injured, according to Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report which covers the 24 February to 1 March period.

• Damage and destruction to civilian infrastructure in areas of active fighting and those affected by airstrikes and shelling continue to impede people’s access to water, food, healthcare and other basic services. This is also impacting the ability of partners to scale-up and expand programmes inside Ukraine.

• More than 870,000 people have crossed Ukraine’s borders since 24 February, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Most of the people fleeing Ukraine are women, girls and boys. Tracking the number of internally displaced people is challenging due to the fluidity of the situation. Ukraine’s main railroad company facilitating evacuations noted that by 28 February, more than 500,000 people had been evacuated, mostly from eastern and central parts of the country towards western oblasts.

• The humanitarian needs of people affected, those on the move and internally displaced are critical. The Health Cluster stressed that trauma care and primary care, essential medicine and medical supplies are urgently needed. People also need access to food as well as support with non-food items, such as household necessities. The key protection concern is to facilitate safe and dignified evacuation of vulnerable people, including people with disabilities, older persons, women and children.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

At least 202 civilians have been killed or injured across conflict-affected areas in Ukraine between this and the previous reporting period, when 550 civilian casualties were recorded by OHCHR. The number of civilians killed or injured since the military offensive on 24 February has now reached 752 in total (525 injured and 227 killed), with eastern Ukraine’s Donetska and Luhanska oblasts accounting for the highest number of cases, followed by central, southern and northern parts of the country. Of the total killed, 31 are men, 25 are women, 15 are children; the sex of remaining 156 is yet unknown). OHCHR maintains that real figures are considerably higher, as there is a delay in receiving information from some locations where there are active hostilities, and many reports are still pending corroboration.

Reports of damage to civilian infrastructure, especially residential buildings, have continued, especially in densely populated cities of Donetsk, Chernihiv, Horlivka, Kharkiv, in and around Kyiv, Mariupol, Sievierodonetsk and Zhytomyr. Active shelling and airstrikes have also continued in other locations on both sides of the “contact line” in eastern Ukraine as well as in smaller settlements in northern, central and southern parts of the country. Reports of disruptions to electricity lines as well as gas and water supply systems are alarming, especially as Ukraine temperatures are still largely below zero. Hospitals and schools are also reportedly coming under constant fire, including in areas on both sides of the “contact line” in eastern Ukraine, where the conflict remains most active.

The number of people fleeing the country is rapidly rising. Close to 200,000 people have crossed the border between this and the previous reporting period, according to UNHCR. This number is almost double the daily average before 1 March. Between 24 February and 1 March, UNHCR recorded 874,000 Ukrainian refugees, with Poland, Hungary and Moldova the top three destination countries. The number of internally displaced people has not yet been fully identified, although initial estimates by UNHCR stated that over 100,000 IDPs by 28 February. The actual number is considered to be much higher. Earlier on 28 February, the Ukrainian railway company noted that more than half a million people had been evacuated towards western parts of the country, and local reports indicate that not all of the people moving internally are planning to cross international borders.

Programme disruptions coupled with conflict conditions continue to increase the affected population’s vulnerability to communicable diseases, such as COVID-19, polio and measles. Poor vaccination coverage increases the risk of outbreaks of preventable communicable diseases, particularly among children. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the recent reported cases of polio in the western part of the country highlight this risk. In addition, confinement conditions in shelters, population displacement, and infrastructure damage, make hygiene difficult to maintain, increasing the risk of respiratory and diarrheal diseases, which could rapidly have a large impact.