Ukraine Flash Appeal

This document is produced by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in collaboration with humanitarian partners in support of the national Government of Ukraine. It covers the three-month period from March to May 2022 and is issued on 1 March 2022.

The security situation in Ukraine deteriorated rapidly following the launch of a Russian Federation military offensive on 24 February 2022. The armed violence escalated in at least eight oblasts (regions), including Kyivska oblast and the capital city of Kyiv, as well as in the eastern oblasts Donetska and Luhanska which were already affected by conflict.

The intense military escalation has resulted in loss of life, injuries and mass movement of civilian population throughout the country and to neighbouring countries, as well as severe destruction and damage to civilian infrastructure and residential housing. Public service provision - water, electricity, heating and emergency health and social services - is under severe pressure, and people’s access to health care is limited by insecurity. Primary services such as banking, social transfers and transport have been affected, as have basic services, such as health, water, and electricity, and local administration. With the continuation of the military operation and mounting insecurity, supply chains are likely to be disrupted for a prolonged period of time. The ability of local authorities to sustain a minimum level of services has also been severely hampered, as employees have fled or can no longer access their workplace.

The ongoing armed violence and rapidly deteriorating security environment throughout the country has put hundreds of thousands of people’s lives at risk. The expansion of the conflict is projected to deepen and expand humanitarian needs among millions of Ukrainians. It is also exacerbating human suffering in eastern Ukraine, an area which has already been exposed to eight years of armed conflict, isolation of communities, deteriorating infrastructure, multiple movement restrictions, high levels of landmine and unexploded ordnance-contamination, and the impact of COVID-19. In these conflict-affected oblasts, some 2.9 million people were already in need of humanitarian assistance prior to the latest escalation in violence.

The humanitarian community has prepared for and is rapidly adapting to the unfolding situation, based on the Inter-Agency Contingency Plan updated in early 2022 ahead of the onset of the crisis. As anticipated in a worst-case scenario, the violence has prompted a steep escalation in needs and a significant expansion of the areas in which humanitarian assistance is required compared to the 2022 HRP. The type of needs and humanitarian activities required in Donetska and Luhanska oblasts have also shifted as a result of the new extent of hostilities.

For a rapid scale-up of principled and effective humanitarian response in existing and new areas of Ukraine for a duration of the three months from March to May 2022, humanitarian partners require US$1.1 billion to help more than 6 million people in need. Immediate and urgent funding will be crucial for meeting existing and new humanitarian needs of millions of civilians caught in the middle of escalated hostilities. The funding currently available for humanitarian operations in Ukraine is extremely limited, with the 2022 HRP funded with less than $18 million (9.2 per cent of requirements as of 26 February 2022).

Updated Ukraine Flash Appeal (March-August 2022)