Humanitarian Bulletin
Ukraine
Issue 23   1 November – 31 December 2017

In this issue
Heavy shelling in Novoluhanske P. 1
Rising toll of civilian casualties P. 1

HIGHLIGHTS

Deteriorating humanitarian situation P. 2

 Shelling in Novoluhanske
cause more misery for
thousands of civilians
 Alarming rise of mine-related
incidents in the East
 ‘Christmas ceasefire’ brought
some relief, but a definitive
ceasefire is needed to end
human suffering
 Winter conditions aggravate
the humanitarian situation
 US$187 million needed in
2018 to assist 2.3 million
people in need – Ukraine
Humanitarian Response Plan
(HRP)

2018 Humanitarian Response Plan P. 5
Elderly woman stands in front of her house in Travneve village
located at the ‘contact line’ in eastern Ukraine/ Photo: OCHA
Ukraine/S.Ishynov

Shelling in Novoluhanske – 3,500 people in a dire
situation
With the onset of Ukraine’s harsh winter, the well-being and protection of thousands of
people living along the ‘contact line’ is worsening. While some 200,000 people living in the
Government controlled areas (GCA) within five kilometers of the ‘contact line’ already
experience daily shelling, thousands of them were put in further danger, when intense
fighting escalated on 18 December. One of the heavily hit towns with more than 3,500
residents was Novoluhanske, Donetska oblast, while other areas around Horlivka and
Yasynuvata also witnessed an increase in hostilities.
When the residential areas of Novoluhanske were hit by the massive shelling with MultiLaunch Rocket System (Hrad), many children were at home waiting for dinner to be served,
mothers returning from work or elderly people having rest. Eight people, including a child
were injured during this incident. The shelling disrupted critical services – water, gas,
electricity and heating supply, leaving people face to face with harsh winter in eastern
Ukraine, without proper shelter, heat or food. Hundreds of houses and apartments were
reportedly either damaged or destroyed. As the humanitarian situation worsened, an
estimated 400 people fled for safety elsewhere.
In response, humanitarian agencies and local authorities provided timely and wellcoordinated assistance and protection, including emergency construction materials,
generators, blankets and food. The situation remains challenging, but people are now
reportedly returning to their homes. The incident once again demonstrates that any of the
600,000 people, including 100,000 children living on both sides of the ‘contact line’ risk
being caught up in the ongoing hostilities, not to mention the risk of mines and other
unexploded ordnance. Their protection is the biggest concern. A definitive ceasefire is the
only lasting humanitarian solution in eastern Ukraine.

Rising toll of civilian casualties
The ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine is one of the deadliest in Europe since the Second
World War. As a result, casualties continues to rise. In December 2017, OHCHR recorded
39 conflict-related civilian casualties (7 killed and 32 injured). This is a 56 per cent increase
compared to November, when 5 civilians were killed and 20 more injured. The number of
civilian casualties in December is also the highest since August 2017 with 42 civilians killed
or injured. Shelling, including small-arms fire, mines, booby-traps or Explosive Remnants
of War (ERW) remain the major causes of casualties among the civilians.

 Ukraine Humanitarian Bulletin   2

2017 was also one of the deadliest calendar years in terms of civilian casualties. OHCHR
verifies that 105 civilians were killed and 486 were injured totalling the number of casualties
to 591 civilians – this is a six per cent increase compared to 2016.
On 18 December, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation announced
decision to withdraw their representatives from the Joint Centre for Control and
Coordination (JCCC), which was enforced on the next day. This may put in question the
ability of the JCCC to continue facilitation of humanitarian activities and movements in the
conflict area in eastern Ukraine, and also have possible negative implications in regards to
implementation of ceasefire arrangements. Nevertheless, on 23 December, parties to the
conflict agreed to a so-called ‘Christmas ceasefire’ through the Trilateral Contact Group
(TCG) meeting in Minsk. The agreement brought some relative lull in hostilities, but field
reports indicate that conflict is still active, with several locations on both sides of the ‘contact
line’ affected on a daily basis.

Mine-contamination – an alarming protection concern
In 2017, mine-related incidents remained among
the most frequent causes of civilian casualties.
Reports of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED),
or ERW near educational facilities, and other
areas, where children often find themselves
playing are of a major concern. A single incident
reported in November, when one student was
killed and two more injured by mine-related
incident at a local school in Staromykhailivka
(Donetska oblast) is an indication of the lifethreatening risk mine-contamination brings to the everyday life of thousands of
schoolchildren. Mine-contamination is widespread in both GCA and non-Government
controlled areas (NGCA) along the ‘contact-line’, and is particularly bad at checkpoints,
where thousands of people gather each day. The Protection Cluster reports that up to 1.9
million people are affected by mines and ERWs across both conflict-affected oblasts.
OHCHR verifies some 158 mine-related casualties in 2017, raising concern for the safety
and protection of millions. Mine clearance and mine-risk education activities are ongoing,
but much more needs to be done in the conflict-affected areas to ensure that lives are not
endangered or lost.

The conflict in
eastern Ukraine is
now one of the
deadliest Europe
has seen since the
Second World War

Humanitarian situation across all sectors deteriorates
Critical infrastructure is regularly hit, leaving millions at risk
Despite numerous calls to adhere to the International
Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the Minsk Full Package
of Measures to protect civilian and infrastructure,
shelling continues to land in or near the critical water
supply systems and pipelines. In December alone,
the Donetsk Filter Station (DFS) was shelled several
times, forcing DFS personnel, who often risk their
lives so water continues running for some 345,000
people, to take cover in bomb shelters. The
operations of the DFS continued without
interruptions on every occasion, because of the
bravery of the staff. However, any interruption of water supply would mean water stops
running, and as a knock-on effect, the collapse of heating systems. The consequence of
such a scenario is devastating, with temperatures plunging below -15 Celsius in the East,
almost 1.8 million people will have to seek refuge, warmth, shelter and water.
Shelling also continued to be reported throughout November-December affecting other
water facilities, such as the Horlivka Filter Station (HFS) or the Water Pumping Station
“Svitlychna”. These facilities store hazardous chemical substances, such as the chlorine

www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/ukraine   www.unocha.org
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) • Coordination Saves Lives

 Ukraine Humanitarian Bulletin   3

gas, and as such the potential for a catastrophic environmental emergency is plain to see.
The WASH Cluster reported 135 incidents affecting water and sanitation facilities in 2017,
with 27 incidents recorded in the last two months alone.
In addition, the situation in eastern Ukraine is further aggravated by the worn-out electricity
infrastructure. Since November, unfavourable weather conditions caused electricity cuts
for some 2,600 households in 21 locations of Luhanska oblast. Moreover, 21,000
households in 63 settlements were left without power. In GCA of Luhanska oblast, the wind
has reportedly damaged the power lines, leaving some 24,000 houses without supply
temporarily. Similar cases continue to be reported almost daily, and it is the civilians, who
continue to bear the brunt. Lack of financial resources, coupled with ongoing insecurity,
which means that electricity supply is not often restored immediately, make it impossible to
conduct swift repairs.

Children under attack
The Education Cluster reports that in
2017, a total of 42 educational
facilities were damaged on both sides
of the ‘contact line’ by the ongoing
conflict. The Cluster reiterates that
there was no single month, without
school being damaged or access to
education impacted. An alarming
trend is the reported cases of
incidents,
when such
attacks
school walled with sandbags with ongoing class on one side and
happened during the daytime, with Local
military on the other. Photo: Ashley Gilbertson/VII for UNICEF
children and teachers attending
school. In addition to physical damage, there were at least 22 educational facilities forced
to be temporarily closed for days or weeks in 2017 due to insecurity nearby. Thus, a total
of 64 educational facilities were directly affected by the conflict in 2017, either by conflictrelated damage or temporary closure, affecting access to education for at least 6,500
children. During the latest escalation of violence on 18 December alone, seven schools
were reported to have been damaged.
People are making
impossible choices
between food,
medicine, shelter or
their children’s
education

Food insecurity is a major concern, affecting over 1.2 million people
The impact of the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine is severe, with 1.2 million people
found to be food insecure in the two eastern oblasts. A comprehensive joint assessment
by the Food Security and Livelihoods Custer (FSLC) indicates that doubled food insecurity
across Donbas compared to 2016 is mainly driven by the ever growing socio-economic
disconnect between the GCA and NGCA, resulting in disruption of access to markets,
inflation, increased unemployment and lack of livelihoods opportunities. In GCA, the levels
of severely food insecure compared to 2016 have remained stable, with some 26,000
vulnerable people, who are those most in need of food assistance. In NGCA, the level has
increased three times to the level of 5 per cent, with some 150,000 severely food insecure
people. People’s vulnerability is further aggravated as negative livelihood-based coping
strategies are applied even more, which is at extremely high level of 87 per cent in NGCA.
The FSLC further reiterates that with the winter, food prices usually rise, whilst the daily
kilocalorie requirements heighten. The amount of social payments, including pensions have
stayed relatively the same during the reporting period. Families are coping to the extent
that they cut on other expenses, making some stark and impossible choices between
medicine, heating and their children’s education to ensure basic daily food intake.
It has become increasingly difficult to maintain donor interest for Ukraine and for the United
Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the leading humanitarian organization delivering
food assistance in emergencies, which announced its gradual phase-out from Ukraine by
mid-2018. It is acknowledged that there exists an urgent need in addressing basic needs
and rehabilitating livelihoods of the most food-insecure people in Ukraine, however it calls
for a much higher funding level as well as stronger development actions. WFP has

www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/ukraine   www.unocha.org
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) • Coordination Saves Lives

 Ukraine Humanitarian Bulletin   4
encouraged its current cooperating partners – the NGOs, who have implemented the WFP
work – to pursue funding directly and coordinate closely with other UN agencies, other
humanitarian actors who are better positioned, have better access and more funds, trying
to ensure that life-saving support reaches the most vulnerable.
The ongoing conflict has caused series of implications to the agricultural activities - one of
the major sources of food and livelihoods for thousands of people. The Socio-economic
Impact and Needs Assessment in eastern Ukraine carried out by FAO has identified lack
of access to quality agricultural inputs as a major impediment. Increased prices, limited
functionality of the markets, limited access to pasturelands, mine-contamination and
continued insecurity resulted in insufficient reserves for animal feed needed to sustain selfproduction at households level. This is negatively impacting the livelihoods of the most
vulnerable and contributing to the increase of food insecurity.

Challenges affecting 1.6 million internally displaced Ukrainians

Over 1.2 million
people received
assistance and
protection between
January – September
2017

The latest National Monitoring System report on the situation of Internally Displaced
Persons (IDPs) in Ukraine conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
reveals some improvement in socio-economic trends by many of the IDPs across the
country, while majority of them continue facing serious challenges on a daily basis. The
report suggests a 15 per cent increase in employment of IDPs between March 2016 and
December 2017, or increase in average income of IDPs since July 2017. Despite this
positive trend, the share of IDP households with ‘enough funds to cover only their food
needs’ is still high, with 33 per cent in December 2017. Some 11 per cent of IDPs reported
that they had to ‘limit expenses even for food’. Moreover, IDPs continue to rely heavily on
government support, which is the second most frequently mentioned source of income by
the IDPs surveyed within the study.
With the continuous conflict and limited prospect for return, many of the IDPs continue
finding themselves in an impasse, between whether to stay in the host communities amidst
multiple challenges, or return to their places of origin despite fighting. Sixty per cent of
respondents in the NGCA reported that their reason to return was the possession of private
property, to avoid spending already limited resources for rent. One major difference noted
between IDPs in GCA and returnees to the NGCA is how they assess their safety. Only 31
per cent of surveyed returnees to the NGCA reported that they felt safe in comparison with
86 per cent of IDPs in GCA.

Despite challenges, humanitarian response continues
Humanitarians concluded an overview of ongoing response operations and issued a
dashboard covering the period of January to September 2017. Despite challenges with
humanitarian access and constant insecurity, humanitarians reached with assistance and
protection over 1.2 million people across all sectors. Assistance included both in-kind and
cash-transfer programming and targeted the most vulnerable in the conflict-affected areas,
but also IDPs across the country.

In addition, between November and December 2017, Russian Federation reportedly
dispatched two convoys to Donetska and Luhanska oblasts (NGCA), with some 950 tonnes
of humanitarian assistance (namely, food rations and gifts for children, schoolbooks and
medical supplies).
The humanitarians are analysing response operations undertaken for the entire period of
2017 and will compile the End-Of-Year report by end of February 2018. This report will
www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/ukraine   www.unocha.org
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) • Coordination Saves Lives

 Ukraine Humanitarian Bulletin   5

cover achievements, analyse gaps and challenges faced by the international humanitarian
community in 2017 to better inform the ongoing response operations in 2018.
Humanitarians continue stretching resources and adapt pragmatic approaches to reach
with the assistance and protection people in need. However, severe underfunding of the
2017 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) was a major concern. Humanitarians ended
2017 with only 35 per cent funding (US$70 million funded of the revised requirement of
$204 million). While many of the funding towards Ukraine in 2017 still need to be recorded
in the Financial Tracking Service (FTS), the trend of decreased funding over the years in
Ukraine is a worrying sign, considering that the humanitarian needs are still acute with 4.4
million people affected.

To ensure effective use of available resources, record and recognize the contributions, an
appeal has been made to donors and partners to reflect contributions pledged, disbursed
and received at https://fts.unocha.org.

3.4 million Ukrainians need assistance and protection
– Launch of the US$187 million 2018 Humanitarian
Response Plan (HRP)
On 4 December, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine (HC), together with the Minister
for the Temporarily Occupied Territories and IDPs (MTOT) launched the 2018
Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for Ukraine. Over 100 representatives of embassies,
UN agencies, NGOs, Government and civil society representatives attended the event. In
addition, on 7 December, the HC together with the Ukraine’s Permanent Representative in
Geneva, representatives of Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency and Save the
Children briefed the UN Member States and humanitarian agencies based in Geneva on
the humanitarian crisis in eastern Ukraine, as part of the launch of the country’s HRP for
2018.

The US$187 million 2018 HRP is a carefully elaborated and strictly prioritized plan, through
which, over 32 international and 16 national organizations aim to provide assistance and
protection to over 2.3 million most vulnerable people in need during 2018. While needs
across all sectors are prevalent, and grow progressively, lower funding requirement of the
2018 HRP compared to 2017 is due to the strict prioritization of projects and in
consideration of the existing context in Ukraine, particularly with regards to humanitarian
access and capacities of organizations.
While the plan is launched and underway, urgent funding is now required to support the
most vulnerable people in the east of the country during the winter months. In his remarks
during the launch of the 2018 HRP in Ukraine, the HC reiterated that “the people of eastern
Ukraine continue suffering the consequences of the ongoing conflict. While Ukraine may
no longer be front page news, people continue to need our help” and called on the
international community to show its solidarity by supporting the appeal.
www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/ukraine   www.unocha.org
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) • Coordination Saves Lives

 Ukraine Humanitarian Bulletin   6

Biggest exchange of prisoners since 2014
On a positive note, on 27 December, the biggest exchange of prisoners took place between
the parties since the start of the conflict as part of implementation of the Minsk agreements.
In total, over 300 people were released with the participation of relevant international
organizations. In a statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General (SG)
on Ukraine, the SG welcomed the exchange of prisoners and detainees, and expressed
hope that it serves as a positive step towards strengthening the confidence among the
sides, urging all parties to take further measures, including by fully respecting and
upholding the ceasefire agreement and continuing to work together to fulfil all of their
commitments under the Minsk agreements.

For further information, please contact:
Ingrid Macdonald, Head of Office, macdonaldi@un.org, Tel. + +380 50 440 90 05
Jake Morland, New York Desk Officer, morland@un.org, Tel. +1 917 224 0621
Valijon Ranoev, Public Information/Reporting Officer, ranoev@un.org, Tel. +380 50 422 39 43
For more OCHA humanitarian bulletins, see http://www.humanitarianresponse.info/operations/ukraine   www.unocha.org  
www.reliefweb.int   Facebook   Twitter   Subscribe to regularly receive OCHA Ukraine products

www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/ukraine   www.unocha.org
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) • Coordination Saves Lives