Ukraine: Humanitarian Snapshot (as of 12 November 2018) [EN/RU/UK]

The human cost of the active armed conflict in eastern Ukraine is distressing, with 18 civilian casualties (5 killed and 13 injured) in October, according to OHCHR. With a monthly average of more than 1,200 reported security incidents over the past three months, the conflict intensity as well as lethal security risks faced by civilians and humanitarian workers remained high. During a monitoring mission to the non-operational Entry/Exit Checkpoint (EECP) Zolote (Luhanska oblast, GCA), located right on the ‘contact line’, three staff members of a national NGO were trapped in exchange of fire for one hour, before they managed to safely flee the area. On 23 October, two drivers of the water company Voda Donbasa were injured when their truck hit a mine during their mission to perform an emergency repair of a damaged water pipeline located on the ‘contact line’ between Horlivka (Donetska oblast, NGCA) and Toretsk (Donetska oblast, GCA). Both were taken to a hospital and survived their injuries. Whilst the damage was fixed, and the water supply was finally restored for 45,000 affected people in Toretsk (Donetska oblast, GCA), the risks that water workers take when performing their daily duties is lethal. The national and oblast authorities continue their efforts to find durable housing solutions for IDPs. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine recently adopted amendments to the state social housing support programme that sought to provide vulnerable IDPs with better access to housing solutions. Meanwhile, the Donetska Oblast Administration allocated funds for the renovation of seven apartments in Toretsk, which would be given to seven vulnerable IDP families. This approach gestures an avenue for further advocacy on durable housing solutions for IDPs. On 30 October, the United Nations Security Council held a briefing session on Ukraine – the second in 2018 -- where the Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator (ASG/DERC) Ms. Ursula Mueller highlighted the plight of the conflict-affected people in eastern Ukraine and called for scaling-up the international support.