War in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine continues to have devastating consequences for the civilian population as humanitarian needs persist. The HRI is responding where we are needed most.

Three years on, conflict continues to take devastating toll in Ukraine

• 12.7 million people in Ukraine are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

• Thousands of Ukrainians are still being displaced by relentless shelling and advancing fighting.

• In areas beyond the Government’s control, one million people endure dire humanitarian conditions, yet access for aid organizations remains severely restricted.

• “The need for humanitarian aid does not end when headlines fade—solidarity has no expiration date,” says Alain Homsy, HRI Ukraine Country Director.

Millions of people have been uprooted from their homes in Ukraine and are in need of humanitarian assistance, in what has become the largest and fastest displacement crisis in Europe since World War II. Over 6 million people have fled the country, while millions more are displaced within Ukraine and in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

The conflict in Ukraine escalated into a war on 24 February 2022. Bombs and shelling continue, damaging homes, hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure.

Over 3 million people are displaced inside Ukraine, while over 6 million have fled to seek safety.

Ukraine, which became an independent country in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, has been working to forge closer ties with the European Union and NATO, which escalated the tensions with Russia. In 2014, Russia illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula and began backing pro-Russian separatists in parts of eastern Ukraine. Eight years of fighting have resulted in the deaths of over 3,000 people, forced more than 850,000 people from their homes, and left almost 3 million in need of aid. Eight years later, the conflict escalated into a war.