OCHA warns relief crisis worsens after winter freeze, daily attacks on Ukraine

By Anjali Sharma

UNITED NATIONS -Director of Financing and Partnerships at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Lisa Doughten on Monday briefed the members of the UNSC told that civilians near the frontlines of Ukraine’s war with Russia are living “on the edge”, as she called for urgent international action to increase protection and sustain humanitarian aid.

Lisa Doughten highlighted the unrelenting toll on civilians.

She said “Daily attacks continue, inflicting death, injury and untold suffering on ordinary Ukrainians, and destruction and damage to civilian infrastructure,” added that for those near the frontlines, lives is even more difficult.

“They face constant shelling and impossible choices: flee in perilous conditions leaving everything they have – perhaps for the second or third time or stay, and risk injury or death.”

OCHA noted that in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson, dozens of civilians have been killed in recent attacks. In November, 65 civilians were killed, and 372 were injured across 11 regions of Ukraine, double the casualties from the previous month.

Ms. Doughten said the crisis has been exacerbated by “repeated, large-scale, coordinated attacks” on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

These imperiled civilians as temperatures drop to as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius.

According to the UN Development Programme over 60 percent of the country’s energy generation facilities have been damaged since March.

“Going into the coldest months of the year, civilians’ access to electricity, gas, heating and water has been severely affected,” Ms. Doughten added.

The dangerous situation has impacted humanitarian operations, with aid workers, vehicles and storage facilities having come under attack.

OCHA said the number of aid workers killed has almost tripled this year – from four in 2022 and five in 2023, to 11 so far in 2024.

The humanitarian community has scaled up its efforts, despite these challenges, Ms. Doughten said.

She noted that in 2024, over 630 humanitarian organizations have provided aid to 7.7 million people, prioritized support for the most vulnerable.

The estimated 1.5 million civilians in Russian-occupied areas of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia remain out of reach.

“We remain unable to reach these people at any adequate scale. The failure to deliver assistance in these areas could have dire consequences, especially in winter,” she added.

Ms. Doughten concluded with an appeal to the international community, urging immediate action in three areas: first, she called for full commitment and compliance with international humanitarian law, particularly on protection of civilians and humanitarians, and unimpeded access to those in need.

She stressed the urgent requirement for more funding. While donors have contributed nearly $2 billion this year, a $1.1 billion shortfall remains.

“We need donors to increase and accelerate flexible funding to sustain life-saving operations as we head into 2025,” she said.

She underscored the need to end the suffering at its source.

“As long as this intolerable war persists, civilians will continue to suffer the severe consequences. What Ukraine and its people need is an end to this devastating war,” she concluded.