ReliefWeb

Background

The security situation in Ukraine deteriorated rapidly following the launch of a Russian Federation military offensive on 24 February 2022. Hostilities escalated across several oblasts (regions), including Kyivska oblast and the capital city of Kyiv, as well as in the eastern oblasts Donetska and Luhanska which were already affected by conflict. The conflict deepened and expanded humanitarian needs among millions of Ukrainians. It is also exacerbating human suffering in eastern Ukraine, an area which has already been exposed to eight years of armed conflict, isolation of communities, deteriorating infrastructure, multiple movement restrictions, high levels of landmine and unexploded ordnance-contamination, and the impact of COVID-19.

The intense military escalation has resulted in loss of life, injuries, and mass movement of civilian population throughout Ukraine and to neighbouring countries, as well as severe destruction and damage to civilian infrastructure and residential housing. The humanitarian community has prepared for and is rapidly adapting to the unfolding situation, based on the Inter-Agency Contingency Plan updated in early 2022 ahead of the onset of the crisis. As anticipated in a worst-case scenario, the violence has prompted a steep escalation in needs and a significant expansion of the areas in which humanitarian assistance is required.

To support responding humanitarian organisations in their delivery of assistance to affected populations, the IASC Cluster Approach was activated in Ukraine for Logistics on 3 March 2022, by the IASC Emergency Directors Group (EDG)