Attachments
Highlights
The war in Ukraine intensified in its third year, devastating the lives of the 1.5 million children in regions on either side of the frontline. Access to children in occupied areas remained fully constrained. There are 3.6 million people now internally displaced; over 100,000 people were displaced in August and September 2024 alone.
In 2024, UNICEF together with its government and implementing partners reached 9.8 million people with humanitarian assistance, including 2.5 million children:
- 1.2 million people were supported to access health services.
- 760,000 children, adolescents and caregivers were able to access mental health and psychosocial support.
- 480,000 children participated in formal or non-formal education, including early learning.
- 5.8 million people accessed safe drinking water.
- 240,000 people from 70,000 households received humanitarian cash transfers.
UNICEF led a comprehensive winter response: Cash for winterization assistance reached 50,000 households while 5,000 families received solid fuel briquettes, winter clothing kits and winter blankets. School grants were provided to 700 schools to support the continuity of in-person education through the winter months. Energy and heat generation equipment has been delivered and is currently being installed in two municipalities in Sumy, six municipalities in Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia city.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
The war in Ukraine intensified in its third year, devastating the lives of the 1.5 million children in regions on either side of the frontline. Access to children in occupied areas remained fully constrained. There are 3.6 million people now internally displaced; over 100,000 people were displaced in August and September 2024 alone.
Increased attacks on populated areas are damaging or destroying civilian infrastructure, including homes, schools and health centres. As seen in the map to the right, October and November saw a 72 per cent increase in attacks on Sumski district (556 attacks per month); a 270 per cent increase on Izumski district in Kharkiv Region (111 attacks per month); and a 78 per cent increase on Kramatorski district in Donetsk Region (228 attacked per month). Since February 2022, the United Nations has verified 2,472 child casualties (667 killed and 1,805 injured), or two child casualties each day. This includes 91 children killed and 539 injured in 2024. But even after the bombing stops, children continue to be at risk of the mines and explosive remnants covering about 25 per cent of the country, as well as the enduring mental health and psychosocial effects of the war on them and their caregivers. Children in frontline areas are forced to spend up to 5,000 hours – equivalent to nearly 7 months – sheltering underground. Nearly 1.2 million children are missing out on full-time, in-person learning. The COVID-19 pandemic and then the escalation of the war mean children are between one and two years behind in core subjects.
Mass attacks on energy infrastructure continued through Christmas Day. Between March and May 2024, Ukraine lost 9 gigawatts (GW) out of its 36GW pre-war power generation capacity. Strikes on energy infrastructure continued through November and December as freezing temperatures arrived. While scheduled national blackouts have decreased, these strikes continue to create outages in heating, water and power, interrupting services, including health care and education for children. Sixty per cent of people lack a back-up power source, while a quarter have no heating appliances.