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Humanitarian and Refugee Crisis in Ukraine
Updated November 23, 2022
Russia’s war against Ukraine has triggered a humanitarian crisis and resulted in massive refugee flows to neighboring countries. It has also exacerbated global food insecurity. Congress passed two emergency supplemental appropriations bills in FY2022 (P.L. 117-103, Division N, and P.L. 117-128) that included a combined nearly $8.9 billion for the humanitarian response in Ukraine and other countries directly affected by the conflict. The Biden Administration’s November 15, 2022, emergency supplemental funding request included $500 million in humanitarian assistance for “vulnerable and displaced populations in Ukraine, the broader region, and around the globe.” In addition, the Biden Administration is providing Temporary Protected Status to Ukrainian citizens already in the United States. The European Union (EU) and individual European countries also have played a main role in addressing the crisis.
Conditions Inside Ukraine
The winter season is likely to worsen already deteriorating humanitarian conditions for millions of people inside Ukraine (which has a total population of about 44 million, including Crimea). From late February 2022 through August 23, 2022, nearly 7 million people became internally displaced persons (IDPs). (Previously, the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine since 2014 had resulted in an estimated 1.4 million IDPs, with roughly 3 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection.) In the current crisis, from February to September, nearly 580 national and international humanitarian groups provided life-saving assistance and protection services to 13.4 million of those in need (including IDPs, evacuees, returnees and other conflict-affected people residing in areas directly affected by hostilities) across Ukraine, except where access was limited or denied in areas under attack. Evacuations from cities under siege by Russian forces have been precarious, with widespread reports of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL). Death and injury to civilian populations is extensive, with at least 16,631 civilian casualties from the start of the invasion to November 14, 2022. The needs of IDPs and the communities hosting them are changing with the situation on the ground and conduct of hostilities. Recent attacks on civilian power and water infrastructure have resulted in widespread power outages and some flooding. Food insecurity is a problem in many areas. Winterization assistance, such as shelter weather-proofing and repairs, is being implemented, while humanitarian organizations are also mobilizing to provide emergency assistance to vulnerable populations in recently liberated areas. The United Nations has estimated that nearly 18 million people inside Ukraine will need relief and protection, including winter-specific interventions.
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