Protecting rights, restoring dignity: UNHCR provides legal support to displaced people in Ukraine

Liudmyla and Valerii never imagined they would spend their 70s far from home. For decades, they lived in Lysychansk in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine – in their apartment filled with memories. Then, on 24 February 2022, the world as they knew it collapsed.

As drones and missiles relentlessly swirled over the city on a daily basis, the house was shaking and the windows trembling. The couple took shelter in their building’s basement every day. 

“There was no electricity, no water supply, no gas. Absolutely nothing. There was no way to contact our relatives. We stood in long queues to get bread while the missiles were flying over our heads and the sounds of gunfire rattled the city,” Liudmyla recalls.

She was the first to leave. Exhausted and distressed, she no longer had the strength to run to the basement every time the air sirens went off, and she joined their neighbors who had room in their car to seek safety elsewhere in the country. Valerii stayed behind with their cat, hoping to protect their home. They both believed that the fighting would be over in two or three weeks, so that Liudmyla would soon be able to return. 

But only few days later, the war literally came blasting through the flat. A mine blast completely blew out the wall, badly injuring Valerii’s arm. 

“I don’t know how I survived. I remember the fog. Everything was flying around, dust, glass everywhere. I was falling. Somehow, I woke up,” he says. 

Within hours, he was evacuated to Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, for emergency surgery. A few days later, he was transferred to Dnipro for further treatment. By sheer coincidence – or perhaps fate – Liudmyla had earlier been brought to the same city, and when she found out, she rushed to the hospital. The couple was together again. 

Fleeing war often means leaving everything behind — not just homes, but also the legal documents that are essential for accessing rights and support. Displaced people like Liudmyla and Valerii lose their IDs, property papers, and medical records while fleeing in a rush. Others need help applying for compensation for destroyed homes, obtaining disability certificates or accessing other services or support. Without legal assistance, navigating these complex processes can be overwhelming in times of crisis and trauma. 

With support from donors like the People of Japan, UNHCR and its NGO partners provide legal assistance to internally displaced and war-affected people in Ukraine. In Valerii’s case, he received help in obtaining a disability certificate and getting recognized as a war survivor, along with access to social benefits. The family also received cash assistance from UNHCR, that allowed them to buy medicine, warm clothing and shoes.

“With the help we received, Valerii’s pension was increased by 30%. This allows us to pay for utilities in the collective site, where we live. We need medicine, and now we have money to buy it. It is really important for us,” said Liudmyla. 

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, UNHCR, together with its partners, has provided over half a million legal counselling sessions to people, helping them to restore lost or damaged documents and obtain proof of property ownership to facilitate their access to administrative and social services and benefits, including compensation for damaged and destroyed housing.

The war took everything from them — their home, their stability, their former lives. But it also revealed the kindness of people they met. “We want peace,” Liudmyla says. “We want to go home. We want everyone to be alive and safe. That’s the most important thing.”