United Nations in Ukraine

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in Ukraine:

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Press Release

23 February 2026

Updated Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction Needs Assessment Released

KYIV, Ukraine, Feb. 23, 2026— Four years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, an updated joint Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA5) released today by the Government of Ukraine, the World Bank Group, the European Commission, and the United Nations currently estimates that as of 31 December 2025, the total cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine is almost $588 billion (over €500 billion) over the next decade, which is nearly 3 times the estimated nominal GDP of Ukraine for 2025. With the support of development partners, the Government of Ukraine is taking significant steps to meet recovery and reconstruction priorities for 2026, including public investment projects and essential recovery support programs such as funding for destroyed housing, demining, and multisector economic support programs, totaling more than $15 billion. In addition, per the available information collected under the RDNA assessment, at least $20 billion in needs have already been met since February 2022 through urgent repairs and early recovery activities in housing, energy, education, transport, and other essential sectors. “Four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, the total cost of Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery is now estimated at nearly $588 billion over the next decade, nearly three times the country’s projected nominal GDP for 2025,” noted Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko. “Amid unprecedented Russian attacks on energy infrastructure and homes across Ukraine this winter, our people show resilience, our entrepreneurs keep working. We still manage to recover fast and develop further. I thank the World Bank, EU, and UN teams for supporting our efforts to stand against the challenges. The assistance helps us urgently repair our critical infrastructure to keep the country running as well as continue systematic recovery activities focusing on energy projects and housing for our people.” The latest update presents an overview of nearly four years of impact, covering 46 months between February 2022 and December 2025. It finds that direct damage in Ukraine has now reached over $195 billion (€166 billion), up from $176 billion (€150 billion) in the RDNA4 of February 2025, with housing, transport, and energy sectors being most affected. Damage, losses, and needs remain concentrated in frontline oblasts and major metropolitan areas. In the energy sector, which has been subject to increased attacks as Ukraine endures a winter of record intensity, there has been an approximately 21 percent increase in damaged or destroyed assets since the RDNA4, including power generation, transmission, distribution infrastructure, and district heating. In the transport sector, needs have increased by around 24 percent since RDNA4 and are the result of intensified attacks on rail and ports during 2025. As of December 31, 2025, 14 percent of housing has been damaged or destroyed, impacting over three million households.“Despite the widespread damage that continues to mount against Ukraine’s people, economy and infrastructure, the entire country continues to press on with remarkable strength and resolve,” said Anna Bjerde, World Bank Managing Director of Operations. “The World Bank Group stands firmly committed to supporting Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction and helping to advance the people of Ukraine with jobs, opportunities and hope in a resilient, modern, and competitive economy.”Ukraine’s private sector has demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of unprecedented disruption and will play a critical role in recovery and reconstruction. The RDNA5 underscores that unlocking the full potential of private investment—both domestic and international—will depend on sustained reforms to improve the business environment, strengthen competition, expand access to finance, address labor constraints, and align production with EU green and digital standards. Promoting sustainable and inclusive development and job creation, and integrated approaches to resilient recovery at the local level—such as through the Government’s pilot Comprehensive Restoration program—will also be essential. The RDNA5 findings complement the reform and investment agenda of the Ukraine Facility, grounded in the EU accession process, for the next two years.“Russia’s war of aggression continues to have a devastating impact on Ukraine,” said EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. “The EU will continue to play a key role in supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery by mobilizing more private investments through the Ukraine Investment Framework, and by encouraging key reforms through the Ukraine Plan that will attract investment and bring Ukraine closer to EU membership.”Of the total long-term needs, reconstruction and recovery needs are the highest in the transport sector (over $96 billion (€82 billion)). This is followed by the energy sector (nearly $91 billion (€77 billion)), the housing sector (almost $90 billion (€77 billion)), commerce and industry sector (over $63 billion (€54 billion)), and agriculture sector (over $55 billion (€47 billion)). The cost of explosives hazard management and debris clearance is almost $28 billion (€24 billion), despite some progress in surveying and demining that helped to contain losses in this sector. “People are central to recovery,” said Matthias Schmale, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine. “Ukraine’s most critical asset is its people. Refugee return, veteran reintegration, and women’s labor force participation will shape economic recovery as much as capital flows and rebuilding infrastructure. Recovery must be human-centered and community-based.”The RDNA5 acknowledges the Government of Ukraine’s efforts to build a forward looking, inclusive, and resilient economic model anchored in postwar recovery planning and long-term growth and underscores the pivotal role played by EU accession and reforms under the Ukraine Plan, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank Group supported programs. The Government’s emerging postwar economic strategy — the Ukraine Economy of the Future (UEF) — focuses on macrofiscal stability, governance and rule of law reforms, private sector dynamism, infrastructure rebuilding, and investments in human capital and social sustainability. These efforts will help to strengthen confidence among citizens, investors, and partners and position Ukraine for accelerated EU convergence and long-term prosperity. Editorial note: All EUR estimates use the Dec 31, 2025, USD/EUR exchange rate.Contacts: In Washington: Amy Stilwell, Sr. External Affairs Officer, World Bank, (202) 294-5321, astilwell@worldbankgroup.org In Kyiv: Victor Zablotskyi, Communications Officer, World Bank, +380 (67) 466-7690, vzablotskyi@worldbank.orgIn Kyiv: Maria Shaposhnikova, Public Information Officer, UN in Ukraine, +38050 4578443, mariia.shaposhnikova@un.org

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Press Release

31 March 2026

UN General Assembly adopts landmark resolution to strengthen the work of the UN system

Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the adoption, describing it as a “historic resolution” and “a major step” that establishes a critical building block for a 21st century United Nations system that is more effective, more accountable and better equipped to deliver results in a changing world.“The resolution adopted today reflects a shared understanding of the full mandate lifecycle – and a shared commitment to strengthen each step of it,” the Secretary-General told Member States. “Today’s resolution helps translate the ambition of the UN80 Initiative into concrete, practical action.”A stronger approach to the mandate lifecycleMandates - decisions adopted by Member States that guide the work of the United Nations - sit at the core of the Organization’s ability to deliver on peace and security, development, human rights and humanitarian assistance.The resolution strengthens the full mandate lifecycle by introducing measures to:• Strengthen mandate creation, bringing greater discipline, coherence and transparency, and encouraging mandates that are clearer, sharper and more focused, backed by better information for decision-making from the outset;• Strengthen implementation, with more user-oriented and data-driven reporting, better coordination and more effective use of resources;• Strengthen review and accountability, including through a culture of continuous improvement grounded in evidence, accountability and results.Member State leadership, supported by the SecretariatThe resolution builds on the work of the General Assembly’s Informal Ad Hoc Working Group on the Mandate Implementation Review, co-chaired by Ambassador Brian Wallace of Jamaica and Ambassador Carolyn Schwalger of New Zealand.The Working Group was established by the General Assembly in September 2025 to consider the proposals contained in the Secretary-General’s report of the Mandate Implementation Review developed under Workstream 2 of the UN80 Initiative. The report examined how mandates are created, implemented and reviewed, and offered concrete proposals to strengthen each function. Workstream 2 of the UN80 Initiative. The report examined how UN mandates are created, implemented and reviewed, and offered concrete proposals to strengthen each function.The resolution decides to deliver through a formal Ad Hoc Working Group on Mandate Implementation Review, open to all Member States and observers. The tasks include, for example, developing better practical templates, stronger review clauses and further review of existing mandates.While reaffirming the Member State-led process, the Secretary-General outlined how the UN Secretariat will support the Working Group, including through:• a single point of contact for delegations on mandate-related questions and process;• enhanced information on the cost of commonly mandated activities and earlier indications of the financial implications of new mandates;• strengthened coordination of implementation responsibilities across Secretariat entities and the wider UN system; and• strengthened results-based approaches, more tailored and user-friendly reporting, and continued development of the UN Mandate Source Registry and other digital transparency tools.From adoption to implementationCalling the resolution “a major step” - but “only the beginning” - the Secretary-General said the UN system would work as a single, coherent Organization guided by the Working Group to improve how mandates are supported and implemented.The UN80 Initiative, launched by the Secretary-General in March 2025 and welcomed by the General Assembly in resolution 79/318, is a system-wide effort to reshape how the UN system works - so that every mandate, dollar and decision delivers greater impact for people and planet.Media ContactsUN80 Secretariat: un80contact@un.org

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Press Release

16 March 2026

FAO report: agriculture remains a lifeline for rural families in war-affected Ukraine

The report on food security and agricultural livelihoods in Ukraine, based on interviews with more than 2 800 households across nine front-line oblasts, provides a detailed picture of how rural families are coping with the prolonged impacts of the war.The report reveals that, despite the challenges, agriculture continues to serve as a vital safety net. Four in ten households are engaged in agricultural production, and for many families farming provides a direct source of food while helping shield them from market disruptions and rising food prices. At the same time, the assessment shows that rural livelihoods are under increasing strain. One in three households reported a decline in income over the past year, reflecting growing economic pressure on families already affected by the war.This financial stress is forcing many households to adopt strategies that may help them manage short-term hardship but weaken their resilience over time. More than 75 percent of surveyed households reported relying on coping mechanisms, such as spending savings, borrowing money or cutting essential expenditures, including healthcare and education.“For many rural families in Ukraine, agriculture is not just a source of income – it is a lifeline that helps them feed their families and maintain a sense of stability despite the ongoing war,” said Shakhnoza Muminova, Head of the FAO Office in Ukraine. “Supporting farmers and rural households is therefore necessary not only to protect food security today, but also to safeguard the resilience and recovery of rural communities.”The findings of the report also highlight the compounded challenges faced by the most vulnerable groups. Internally displaced persons, women-headed households and families living near the frontline experience higher exposure to shocks and significantly greater risks of food insecurity.“The assessment shows that many rural households continue to rely on farming as a crucial coping strategy,” said Aziz Karimov, Head of the Assessment, Research, and MEAL Unit at FAO Ukraine, and a lead author of the report. “However, declining incomes, repeated shocks and limited access to agricultural inputs are gradually weakening this safety net, leaving vulnerable households increasingly exposed to food insecurity.”Evidence to guide emergency agriculture and support rural livelihoodsThe report provides critical insight into how the war continues to affect food security and agricultural livelihoods at the household level. By linking economic pressures, production challenges and exposure to shocks, it helps explain why many rural families are becoming increasingly vulnerable despite continuing to farm.The findings have informed FAO’s Emergency and Early Recovery Response Plan for Ukraine 2026–2028, as well as Food Security and Livelihood Cluster partners planning processes aimed at strengthening agricultural resilience and protecting rural livelihoods. By providing evidence on how the war continues to affect household food security and agricultural production, the assessment helps guide targeted support to farmers and rural communities.As Ukraine continues to face the profound consequences of the war, coordinated efforts by national authorities, humanitarian partners and international donors remain essential to address the growing pressures on rural communities. Supporting farmers and rural families is critical to stabilizing food systems, protecting livelihoods and preventing further deterioration of food security in rural areas.Key findingsAgriculture remains a critical livelihood strategy, with 40 percent of surveyed households engaged in agricultural production, and 86 percent of agricultural households producing primarily for self-consumption.Agriculture helps protect households from food insecurity, with farming households reporting lower levels of food deprivation and more diverse diets compared with households not engaged in agricultural activities.Rural households are under increasing financial pressure, with one in three households reporting a decline in income over the past year, and 48 percent of households relying primarily on agricultural income experiencing falling earnings.Households in frontline areas face significant economic vulnerability, with 42 percent relying on pensions and 36 percent on social benefits as their primary income sources, and 3 percent reporting no income at all.Agricultural production is declining under mounting constraints, with 30 percent of crop producers reporting smaller harvests, rising to 45 percent in Khersonska oblast, while 20 percent of livestock producers reported losing animals due to the war.More than 75 percent of households reported adopting coping strategies to manage financial hardship, including spending savings, borrowing money or reducing essential expenditures such as healthcare and education.Displacement has had severe impacts on livestock production, with 70 percent of surveyed evacuees reporting that they had to abandon livestock when fleeing their homes.The most vulnerable groups remain internally displaced persons, women-headed households and families living near the frontline, who consistently experience higher levels of food insecurity, more frequent shocks and greater reliance on negative coping strategies.

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Press Release

30 March 2026

UNHCR supports repairs of common spaces in multi-story buildings, enabling more than 7,500 families to access state compensation

Since 2023, UNHCR has carried out or supported repairs in more than 100 multi-story residential buildings – this has enabled over 7,500 households to become eligible to apply for compensation under the Government’s eVidnovlennia programme.Under national regulations, apartment owners can only apply for compensation once the common areas – such as roofs, staircases, entrances, or windows – have been restored and declared safe. In many war-damaged buildings, the cost of repairing these shared spaces is too high for residents to manage on their own, leaving entire buildings excluded from the compensation mechanism.By repairing these common spaces, UNHCR addresses one of the most practical and immediate barriers to compensation. The repairs are implemented through a combination of contractor-led works and the provision of construction materials to local authorities, complementing the community-led efforts.In 2025 alone, UNHCR helped with repairs across Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Mykolaiv regions, making over 1,700 families – in total 3,250 people – eligible to apply for compensation.This work is part of UNHCR’s broader approach to ensure that displaced and war-affected people in Ukraine gain access to the Government’s vital compensation scheme which also entails provision of free legal aid. Together with local NGO partners, UNHCR provides legal counseling to help people restore their housing, land, and property rights, recover essential documents, confirm ownership, or complete inheritance procedures required for compensation claims. In 2025, UNHCR delivered 39,000 legal consultations, helping thousands navigate procedures and overcome administrative obstacles with over 2,200 cases successfully resolved to restore documentation or ownership rights."Through our integrated approach to shelter and protection interventions, we are making sure that no one is left behind and that people are supported to access the Government’s essential compensation programme, which we know serves as a lifeline to many families whose homes have been damaged by Russian attacks. By combining practical repairs with legal aid and our strategic advocacy, we help remove barriers for thousands of people, delivering tangible results today and helping to prepare communities for future reparations and recovery work," says Bernadette Castel-Hollingsworth, UNHCR’s Representative in Ukraine.The repairs of common spaces are part of UNHCR’s larger shelter programme in Ukraine, which supports war-affected and displaced families through emergency shelter materials provided immediately after attacks (more than 565,000 people supported since 2022) and durable house repairs (close to 55,000 houses repaired since 2022).UNHCR’s response in Ukraine is made possible thanks to the generous support of government and private donors. This includes top donors contributing specifically to the Ukraine operation as well as those providing critical flexible funding to UNHCR globally: Denmark, the European Union, Germany, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.More info: UNHCR Ukraine Brief: People-Centred Recovery in Action – Unlocking Compensation

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20 May 2026

Ukraine war ‘becoming deadlier by the day’, Security Council hears

“In the last week alone, we witnessed one of the largest aerial bombardments of Ukraine since the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion in February 2022,” said Director Kayoko Gotoh of the Political and Peacebuilding Affairs department. Between 13 and 14 May, Russia reportedly launched more than 1,500 drones and dozens of missiles targeting cities across Ukraine. Civilians face daily attacks The deadliest incident occurred on 14 May when a missile reportedly flattened a nine-story apartment block in the capital, Kyiv, killing 24 people and injuring at least 48 others. “These large-scale attacks have continued daily,” she said, noting that at least 238 civilians were killed, and 1,404 injured, last month alone. “This represents the highest monthly number of civilian casualties recorded since July 2025,” she said. “It also reflects a continuing pattern of rising civilian harm.” “We strongly condemn all attacks against civilian and civilian infrastructure, wherever they occur,” she said. Humanitarians under fire Ms. Gotoh reported that UN personnel were involved in two “alarming drone-related incidents” last week – an issue that was further addressed by a senior official with the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA. Edem Wosornu, Director of OCHA’s Crisis Response Division, said “two separate convoys, clearly marked as being part of the United Nations,” were hit on 12 and 14 May. “These brazen incidents are not isolated. In the same week, other humanitarian missions were hit, injuring humanitarian workers and damaging assets,” she said. Attacks are intensifyingMoreover, three humanitarian workers were killed, and 10 injured, during the first four months of the year. “These attacks are intensifying, making the delivery of humanitarian assistance increasingly difficult, if not impossible in some areas,” said Ms. Wosornu. “Humanitarian workers in Ukraine are taking immense risks to save lives. However, the weapons being deployed - cheap and deadly - are rapidly changing what it means to deliver life-saving assistance.” Despite the dangers, the UN and partners continue to deliver aid where access allows yet needs continue to grow and a $2.3 billion plan for Ukraine has received some $845 million to date. She urged Council members to ensure that international humanitarian law is respected, and to provide timely funding for humanitarian operations. Temporary truce and prisoner exchange Ms. Gotoh noted that amid the rising devastation and loss of life in Ukraine, the UN Secretary-General welcomed the announcement of the three-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, from 9-11 May, which was facilitated by the United States. “We are also deeply disturbed by the escalation of attacks by the Russian Federation almost immediately following the expiry of the ceasefire.” The Secretary-General also welcomed announcement of an agreed exchange of prisoners of war. The first step occurred on 15 May with the sides returning 205 prisoners each. Concern for deported Ukrainian children Meanwhile, the UN remains concerned about the fate of children who were deported and forcibly transferred from Ukraine whose “prompt and safe return will require consistent engagement by both sides.” Before concluding her briefing, Ms. Gotoh recalled that a year has passed since direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia resumed. “Although direct talks, which are currently paused, have yet to result in a breakthrough, diplomacy has made it possible for thousands of prisoners of war to return home, and for remains of fallen soldiers to be laid to rest,” she said. “Negotiations should resume without further delays to prevent further escalation and to make meaningful progress towards a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.”

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Story

20 May 2026

Healthcare services closer to home

Its two long streets stretch for over 14 kilometers along the highway, with homes, gardens, and farms scattered in between.For its 2,800 residents, the day starts early and revolves around household chores and seasonal agricultural work. The distance to the district hospital, just five kilometers via country roads, may seem insignificant. But for the elderly residents, even this short journey is a challenge. Not everyone can cover it unaided. And when your chest feels tight, or blood pressure rises, or it is time to get an ECG, delaying care can be risky. In December 2025, with support from GIZ, the village was able to open a modular health post. The small, bright building equipped with furniture, heaters, and basic medical supplies, quickly became a place where people come for medical help and advice. Two nurses, Liudmyla and Alla, receive patients here every day. They perform checkups, measure blood pressure, and help patients manage chronic conditions. Recently, the range of their services expanded. With financial support from the Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk, UNOPS delivered refrigeration equipment and modern medical devices including an electrocardiograph, an ophthalmoscope, an otoscope, and blood and urine analysers. “Extended blood tests and urine tests are among the most required ones,” says Alla. “Now I can do them right here, send the results to a doctor via a messaging app, and the patient receives recommendations quickly, without needing to go on an exhausting trip”. Among Alla’s patients is Anna, a 75-year-old woman who suffered a heart attack fifteen years ago. Since then, she has carefully followed all her cardiologist’s recommendations: annual checkups, regular ECG, blood pressure monitoring, and IV treatment. “I come here, to the health post. The district hospital is too far away, and I have my livestock and vegetable patch, and the household to take care of. I can’t keep travelling back and forth,” she says. In the afternoon, the nurses visit up to 20 patients at home. They run routine checks, and administer treatments. To reach her patients on time, Liudmyla bought an electric scooter. It is far more reliable than a bicycle, she says, especially on dirt roads. Locals recognise her from afar by her bright sweater and large medical bag. Thanks to Novo Nordisk and UNOPS, the health post in Kryve Ozero Druhe now has not only essential laboratory equipment, but also a dedicated space for gynaecological examinations. There are hopes that this will soon allow a gynaecologist to see patients here. In a large city, this would be seen as a regular service range expansion. For a village, however, it changes the daily routine: people no longer have to choose between tending to their farm and visiting a doctor. Now, they can manage both.

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14 May 2026

People of Ukraine endure one of the most devastating 24-hour attack since the beginning of the large-scale invasion

The attack caused widespread destruction, killing and injuring dozens, including children. The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine a.i., Bernadette Castel-Hollingsworth, has reacted strongly to Russian military strikes on a civilian area of Kyiv on Thursday, calling it a clear violation of the humanitarian law.Unprecedented scale of attacksOn May 13, Russian forces launched a massive wave of nearly 800 drones, targeting mostly western regions of Ukraine, reaching such cities as Uzhhorod, which is situated around 20 km from the Hungarian border. The attack resulted in critical infrastructure damage with energy facilities and key railway hubs coming under fire in the Rivne, Volyn and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.According to the local authorities, in Rivne region alone, three people were killed and six injured. Emergency services responded rapidly, extinguishing fires even amid the ongoing threat of additional strikes. All injured are receiving medical care.Capital under fireThe attacks continued overnight into May 14, intensifying as drones and missiles struck Kyiv. Residential areas and civilian infrastructure across multiple districts were damaged, leaving communities in shock. “Families should always feel safe,” said Ms. Castel-Hollingsworth, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, a.i. “Mothers should not be waiting to know if their children are alive under the rubble after these missile attacks.” The senior humanitarian official reiterated that, under humanitarian law, civilians must be protected and must not be targeted.Missiles and drones launched by Russian military forces caused injuries and death to at least 140 people, including six children, authorities reported. As rescue efforts continue and casualty figures are expected to rise. The strikes have also disrupted essential services, as local authorities report, with water supply cut off across parts of the left bank of Kyiv and traffic restricted in several areas.Building collapsed, families trappedIn Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district, a direct strike hit a high-rise residential building, causing sections to collapse and trapping residents beneath the rubble. Authorities reported 24 five people killed and 48 injured by this collapse. Three children were found dead, including a 12-year-old girl whose body was recovered from the debris. Emergency crews continue search-and-rescue operations under extremely dangerous conditions.Humanitarian response continues Despite the risk of renewed attacks, humanitarian responders deployed immediately at first light. Teams on the ground are providing life-saving assistance and distributing emergency materials to help residents carry out urgent repairs to damaged homes.

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14 May 2026

Restoring strength and hope: how WHO and the EU support people in rebuilding their lives in Ukraine

Inside, her husband Oleksandr is learning how to use a wheelchair under the guidance of a physical therapist.For the past three months, Nataliia has not left her husband’s side. She has been caring for him after multiple complex surgeries – treating wounds and stitches and helping him relearn the simplest things: how to eat, drink, and sit up again.Until recently, the couple lived in Kostiantynivka, in a small house they had built over many years, hoping to spend their retirement surrounded by nature.“But we were never the kind of people who could sit idle,” Nataliia recalls with a smile. “We had a big household – chickens, geese, and sometimes five or seven pigs. But Sasha loved his nutria the most. He was always busy with them – building new cages, separating the females from the males, or taking them to the vet if they got sick. Sometimes I would joke: ‘Why don’t you just go kiss your nutria?’ But of course, I helped him, because he loved them so much. He has always been a kind and hardworking man – if someone needed help, he would be the first to show up. And when bread stopped being delivered to our town, he volunteered to bring it together with some guys from the nearby town of Druzhkivka.”That morning, a neighbour asked Oleksandr to help with some work around the yard. As always, he agreed. A few minutes later, a Shahed drone struck the neighbour’s courtyard.“At first, I didn’t even understand what had happened,” Nataliia remembers. “I just heard a terrible scream – an inhuman scream. When I ran outside, there was a sneaker lying on the grass… with a torn- off leg inside it. On the way to the hospital, Sasha kept asking the same question: ‘Where is my sneaker? Did you take it with you?’”The neighbours were killed instantly. Oleksandr survived, but doctors had to amputate both of his legs and remove one eye. Then came the long and difficult road of rehabilitation.For a long time, Oleksandr could barely move. He spent most of his time lying down and gradually lost motivation. Even sitting on the bed was possible only for a few minutes – severe back pain made it unbearable.“Until Illia appeared,” Nataliia says. Illia is a physical therapist at the hospital. Only a few days ago he began working with Oleksandr – teaching him how to transfer into a wheelchair, maintain balance, and use his arms. Just recently, even that seemed impossible.“But now you can’t stop Sasha,” Nataliia smiles. “Sometimes Illia says, ‘Maybe that’s enough for today.’ But Sasha asks to continue. He says he wants to become independent again as soon as possible – to stand on prosthetics.”People who have lost both lower limbs or sustained spinal cord injuries are often forced to relearn how to live - and in many cases, their mobility depends on a wheelchair for a long time. That is why it is essential to ensure an individual fit, so that the wheelchair is comfortable, safe, and supports a person’s daily activities.According to the National Health Service of Ukraine, since the start of the full-scale war, around 12,000 people have sustained spinal cord injuries. This is only part of those who currently require long-term rehabilitation and assistive mobility devices.That is why specialists across Ukraine are being trained to properly assess, fit, and adjust wheelchairs according to international standards.Over the past three years, more than 300 rehabilitation professionals have completed this training, and nine Ukrainian specialists have become certified trainers, helping pass these skills on to colleagues.This makes it possible to gradually expand access to quality rehabilitation services across the country – from cluster to super-cluster hospitals – ensuring that more patients receive the support they need where they are treated. The project is implemented with the financial support of the European Union.“I think everything will be alright for us,” Nataliia says with a gentle smile. Maybe we’ll even start a household again someday. We’ll live… and enjoy life. Because life goes on.”

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08 May 2026

Ukraine’s recovery has a hidden fault line, and we are not measuring it

Ukraine’s recovery needs are staggering. The latest assessment of damage and needs places the figure at $587.7 billion over the next decade, nearly three times the country’s GDP. International partners have mobilised extraordinary support, channelled through a very sophisticated architecture. The system knows a great deal about needs and commitments. Damage is mapped, needs are quantified, reforms are tracked, and disbursements are conditioned based on performance benchmarks. Ukraine has become one of the most closely monitored recovery processes in modern history. None of the tools governing Ukraine’s recovery was designed to measure whether institutions behind all of this can actually function and deliver. That is the hidden fault line. Resilience, misused and misunderstood “Resilience” has become one of the most frequently used words in Ukraine to describe the extraordinary capacity of Ukrainians to endure conditions no society should have to withstand. That interpretation is understandable, but incomplete. The capacity to cope with extraordinary hardship is not resilience. It is the absence of an alternative. Resilience, properly understood, is something more operational: whether government systems can keep delivering services under pressure, adapt when circumstances change, and maintain the trust of the people they serve. And right now, no one is measuring it across Ukraine’s recovery architecture. That gap matters. Recovery fails when state capacity is not fully part of the equation. Built for a different problem Most recovery frameworks begin with the same questions: what has been destroyed, what will it cost, who will pay? Those are necessary questions, but not sufficient. They rest on an assumption that if financing is available and reforms are agreed, delivery will follow. Ukraine is stress-testing that assumption under conditions no recovery framework was designed for. It is not a post-conflict case, but a country simultaneously fighting a large-scale war, keeping services going for millions of displaced people and affected populations, managing billions in international assistance, and advancing reforms under martial law. This is a permanently stressed system operating at the edge of institutional limits. The question is no longer whether Ukraine can rebuild, but whether state systems can carry the weight placed on them. Four pressures, one blind spot Four compounding pressures are eroding the state’s ability to deliver in ways the current recovery architecture is poorly equipped to see. Need and capacity move in opposite directions. Frontline oblasts account for 82% of documented destruction. The areas bearing the heaviest burden are also the ones where the fiscal and institutional base has been most severely compressed. Spending does not always translate into results. Social protection allocations in the 2026 budget stand at UAH 468.5 billion ($10.5 billion), covering growing caseloads of displaced persons, veterans, and vulnerable households. In parallel, humanitarian cash programmes deliver large-scale support. Despite the combined scale of both, nearly 80% of households in frontline areas still cannot meet basic needs. External financing is becoming increasingly uncertain. The US has ended budget support, and the 2026 financing gap stands at around $52 billion with only $5.5 billion secured by the end of Q1. Humanitarian funding is declining at the same time, affecting the most vulnerable. Institutional capacity is under pressure. Mobilisation, emigration, and internal displacement have reduced the number of experienced civil servants and administrators. This loss is not visible in dashboards, but it determines whether systems can function. The state is asked to do more with fewer people. The measurement gap at the heart of recovery The frameworks governing Ukraine’s recovery are sophisticated and, within their own terms, effective. Damage assessments tell you what has been destroyed and how much is needed, Ukraine’s digital reconstruction platform DREAM tells you what projects have been registered, funded, and completed. The IMF benchmarks and EU scorecards tell you, in complementary ways, whether the right systems and processes have been adopted. Every instrument does what it was built to do. None was designed to answer the one question that matters most: can the institutions responsible for delivery actually function, and where, and under what conditions? Consider DREAM. Out of more than 12,000 registered projects, fewer than 10% are fully funded. More financing is needed. Historically, nonetheless, Ukraine’s public investment absorption capacity has never exceeded 30%. This is not only a financing problem. It is also a capacity problem. More money helps, but it will not, on its own, close the recovery gap. What gets measured gets managed. The tools governing Ukraine’s recovery fail to measure the one thing that determines whether recovery holds: state capacity under sustained pressure. What cannot be seen cannot be strengthened. The consequences are already visible. First, priorities become distorted. When capacity is not visible, investment flows to where delivery is easiest. The risk of territorial disparities grows, with frontline regions, where institutional stress is greatest, receiving support that falls short of what their situation requires. Second, humanitarian transitions become poorly managed. Humanitarian aid never stops because people no longer need it. It stops because money runs out. In 2026, with humanitarian funding contracting, that moment is already here. A successful transition is measured by whether people can access services, meet their basic needs and become self-sufficient. Right now, that test is being applied without the evidence to know whether the systems taking over can pass it. Third, private investment becomes even more constrained. Private capital responds to predictability and credible commitments, not damage maps. Security conditions matter, but they are not the whole story. Across much of Ukraine’s territory, a critical binding constraint is not security but the absence of any reliable way to read the institutional landscape on the ground. The risk financing architecture is important, but it will not unlock the purely commercial investment that the scale of Ukraine’s needs requires. A different kind of question The instinctive response to complexity is more coordination: new platforms, working groups, and mapping exercises. That temptation should be resisted. The problem is not lack of dialogue. It is the absence of a shared, evidence-based picture of where systems can function effectively and where they need further support. Without that, coordination produces alignment around incomplete questions. Closing this gap requires a state capacity agenda built around what resilience means in operational terms: whether systems can deliver under pressure, adapt when conditions change, and sustain the trust of the people they serve. In practical terms, this requires three shifts: for humanitarian partners, using capacity evidence to guide transition decisions rather than funding cycles; for development institutions, calibrating instruments to local conditions rather than national benchmarks; and for government, clearly identifying where the state can deliver effectively, where it requires reinforcement, and where complementary support remains necessary. The evidence of the capacity constraint exists. What is missing is a framework that consolidates and operationalises it across state systems, at national and subnational level, in a form that decision-makers can act on. The window is open Ukraine’s recovery will not be determined by what is mapped, committed or financed alone. It will be determined by whether institutions can function, adapt, and retain public trust under sustained pressure. The window for getting this right is open. A recovery architecture that cannot measure state capacity under stress will never deliver the recovery it claims to be building. The methods exist. What is missing is their integration into how recovery is governed.

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Press Release

20 May 2026

Statement by UNHCR Representative on deadly attack on Dnipro, destroying humanitarian aid in UNHCR’s warehouse

I strongly condemn last night’s Russian missile and drone attack on Dnipro, that claimed at least two civilian lives, injured more, and also hit a UNHCR-contracted warehouse, resulting in the destruction of significant amounts of humanitarian aid and shelter materials.I send my deepest condolences to the families of the two warehouse workers who lost their lives in this horrific attack as well as to the families of civilians killed in other attacks across the country in the last 24 hours.The warehouse was struck by a ballistic missile and caught fire. Firefighters are still responding on site, but according to preliminary assessments some 900 pallets of UNHCR aid items – with a value of more than USD 1 million – have been destroyed. These aid items would have supported thousands of forcibly displaced and war-affected people in Dnipropetrovsk and neighboring frontline regions.The destroyed stock includes basic relief items such as blankets, sleeping mats, hygiene kits, which UNHCR and NGO partners distribute to evacuees and other vulnerable people in collective sites and transit sites as well as shelter materials used for emergency response after attacks and more durable repairs of war-damaged homes.UNHCR is in dialogue with authorities, partners and other UN agencies to ensure that we can replenish our needed aid items and locate alternative warehouse space, allowing us to continue our work for the people we are here to help.It is absolutely abhorrent that once again, premises of humanitarian work and aid items are damaged in these relentless air strikes, just as we witness repeatedly how humanitarian workers are being targeted when doing their jobs and delivering aid to those most in need.Civilians and humanitarians are explicitly protected by international law. These attacks must stop.Bernadette Castel-Hollingsworth, Representative of UNHCR Ukraine

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Press Release

18 May 2026

New Human Rights Protection Centre opens in Lviv, expanding nationwide access to essential rights and services

The centre has been established on the premises of the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights (the Ombudsman of Ukraine) and with the support of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and local authorities.The regional Human Rights Centres are designed as accessible spaces where people can receive legal counseling, information about access to human rights and direct assistance to resolve complex rights-related challenges affecting their daily lives, such as documentation issues for people displaced from temporarily occupied territories. Safeguarding the rights of people is even more crucial in times of a full-scale war, as risks for certain groups have increased significantly, including for internally displaced people, people with disabilities, older people and people at risk of statelessness.Since August 2024, UNHCR has supported the Office of the Ombudsman in Ukraine in establishing similar regional centres in Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Zakarpattia, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Odesa and Ternopil regions. Thousands of people have already received support in these centres since their respective openings, including 2,700 individuals in Zakarpattia, 2,570 in Ivano-Frankivsk, and over 2,100 in Chernivtsi (as of April 2026). UNHCR has supported renovations and refurbishments of these and other centres, as well as provided equipment to support their services. This also includes helping to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities and reduced mobility. “Russia’s full-scale war has dramatically increased the need for protection services and safeguarding of rights across Ukraine. Many people — particularly those forcibly displaced or otherwise in vulnerable situations — need support to understand and exercise their rights and to navigate often complex legal and administrative processes. Too often, people do not know where to turn for help, but by decentralizing these services and bringing Human Rights Centres closer to people, support becomes more accessible, practical and timely. Access to rights is life-changing. This and other human rights centers across Ukraine will ensure tailored and in-person help to people that need it the most,” said Bernadette Castel-Hollingsworth, UNHCR’s Representative in Ukraine. “From the very first days of the full-scale invasion, the Lviv region became one of the regions facing the greatest humanitarian challenges. It was here that hundreds of thousands of people found support and safety. Since 2022, the number of appeals to the Ombudsman’s Office in the Lviv region has increased by 248%, reflecting the growing scale of people’s need for rights protection and assistance. That is why we are opening a Human Rights Protection Centre in Lviv — to ensure support is even more accessible and closer to people. The Centre was made possible thanks to our partners, including the support of UNHCR. I am grateful to our international friends for this critically important support during such a difficult time.” said Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.The regional Human Rights Centres also function as spaces for information and outreach activities aimed at strengthening awareness of fundamental rights and access to justice. Particular attention is given to older people, persons with disabilities, and others who face barriers in accessing services. Across the country, the centres have already hosted hundreds of outreach events since they started their activities, including 112 in Zakarpattia, 105 in Ivano-Frankivsk, 81 in Chernivtsi, and 25 in Khmelnytskyi. The strong, longstanding partnership and cooperation between UNHCR and the Ombudsman of Ukraine, which began in 2010, is formalized in a Memorandum of Understanding from August 2024. Beyond advancing the network of regional Human Rights Centres, the partnership spans joint protection monitoring, support to Ukrainians displaced abroad, legal awareness initiatives, and advocacy for the rights of displaced and stateless people, including those in the temporarily occupied territories.

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Press Release

12 May 2026

UN WFP truck carrying food for frontline communities hit by drone in Dnipro region, driver injured

The truck was traveling in a convoy alongside two WFP armored passenger vehicles, carrying a total of seven staff members. After successfully offloading food commodities in Zoriane and Slovianka, Dnipro region, the truck was damaged by an FPV drone, injuring its driver. The two other vehicles left the location and the driver was immediately taken to a hospital. While immobilized, the truck was hit multiple times by separate drones.All vehicles were clearly marked as UN WFP vehicles. “It is shocking and shameful that civilians and humanitarians must risk their own safety to deliver lifesaving assistance to frontline communities facing desperate conditions,” said Richard Ragan, WFP Country Director in Ukraine. “These repeated attacks on humanitarian convoys and distribution sites threaten the people we support, and risk cutting them off from the assistance they depend on,” Ragan added.In the last two years, WFP recorded more than 80 attacks on its vehicles, warehouses, distribution points and the vehicles and assets of its local humanitarian partners in Ukraine.Despite increased security risks, WFP continues to support nearly 600,000 people with critical food and cash assistance every month in Ukraine’s frontline regions. In the last month WFP distributed food boxes to 157,000 people in frontline locations.Background information: The United Nations World Food Program is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability, and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.For more information please contact: Antoine Vallas, WFP/Kyiv, +380 952501154, antoine.vallas@wfp.orgOleksandr Mariash, WFP/Kyiv, +380 999724356, oleksandr.mariash@wfp.org

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