There are no safe places left in the country: air raid alarms sound at any time of the day. Ukraine: consequences of Russian attacks “are catastrophic” Peace and security
At today’s briefing in Geneva, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) emphasized that the consequences of the Russian attacks “are catastrophic”: the scale of destruction and the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine are growing every day.
According to aid workers on the ground, there are no safe places left in the country: air raid alerts sound at all hours of the day, and rocket attacks and drone strikes kill and maim civilians every week, destroying homes, schools, hospitals and energy facilities.
The situation is particularly dire in front-line areas. In Pokrovsk and Mirnograd, about 1,500 people – mostly elderly and people with limited mobility – found themselves without reliable access to water, electricity and medical care. In Lyman, located further north in the Donetsk region, about three thousand residents are completely deprived of humanitarian support due to ongoing fighting.
In Dnipro two days ago, a World Food Program warehouse was damaged during a drone attack. As a result, at least 10 thousand boxes of food intended for residents of front-line territories were destroyed. These supplies were supposed to help families survive the winter.
Children remain the most vulnerable group in war. Many have experienced repeated displacement, others live near active war zones or have seen their schools and homes destroyed. They no longer have a safe space to play, study, or relax.
Routine power outages across the country are depriving families of heat and access to clean water, which is especially dangerous when temperatures drop below zero. The scale of displacement continues to grow: there are 3.7 million internally displaced persons within Ukraine, and almost six million people remain refugees. This year alone, more than 1,220 thousand people were forced to leave their homes, mostly women, children and elderly people from front-line areas.
Despite the difficulties, humanitarian organizations continue to work. From January to September, more than 4.2 million people received assistance, including 800 thousand children. However, OCHA stressed that as winter sets in and attacks continue, the need to protect civilians, infrastructure, humanitarian workers and medical personnel becomes increasingly urgent. “Children must be protected and there can be no excuses,” the organization said.