Ukraine: Conflict continues to take huge toll on hundreds of thousands of people daily

People’s humanitarian needs in Ukraine must not be overlooked or forgotten. This conflict in Eastern Ukraine continues to inflict a heavy toll on people’s families and homes every day.

Hundreds of thousands of people living close to the line of contact regularly suffer from disrupted access to food, water and electricity, and hundreds of people are still searching for their missing family members. Thousands of people, civilians and those fighting, have been killed or injured.

This is a conflict that hits people daily on personal, psychological and emotional level, bringing death, injury, separation from loved ones as well as the huge mental toll of ongoing violence and insecurity. The most basic of daily tasks are now difficult or impossible as damage to essential water, gas and electricity infrastructure – including from explosive weapons – causes cuts and shortages, with huge knock-on effects far beyond the immediate area of fighting. Mines and unexploded ordnance pose another risk. Families have lost loved ones or seen them severely injured, including children, while they were working in fields, collecting firewood or simply playing in the yard.

On either side of the line of contact, the International Committee of the Red Cross supports affected people rebuild their lives and cope with the ongoing conflict. We help repair damaged houses, hospitals, schools, water facilities and other infrastructure. We also support livelihood programmes and work to improve conditions in places of detention, including by donating hygiene materials for COVID-19 prevention. We work with the families of missing people, support mental health and access to education programs, and carry out mine risk awareness activities. We have progressively stepped up our operations since 2014.