- The conflict in Ukraine is now in its eighth year. It continues to take a heavy toll on civilians, with more than five million people affected.
- The civilian death toll has topped 3,000, with over 7,000 people injured since 2014. Over 50,000 houses have been damaged or destroyed.
- Of the 2.9 million people in need of aid in 2022, 1.3 million are living in government-controlled areas and 1.6 million are living in non-government-controlled areas.
- The UN’s Humanitarian Response Plan for 2022 calls for $190 million to assist 1.8 million people in need.
- Ukraine is the “oldest” humanitarian crisis in the world, as about three out of ten of people in need are elderly.
- The UN estimates that there are 854,000 internally displaced people in Ukraine (that is, people who have been forced to flee to another part of the country).
- Eastern Ukraine is divided by a 427-kilometre-long “contact line” separating government-controlled areas from non-government-controlled areas. The line has seven crossing points, but since March 2020, movement across the line has been significantly restricted. The number of crossings has decreased by over 90 per cent, from over 1.2 million per month before the Covid-19 pandemic to fewer than 100,000 per month today.
- Ukraine is one of the most mine-contaminated regions in the world. It ranks fifth in the world for civilian casualties as a result of landmines and explosive remnants of war, and in the top three for anti-vehicle landmine accidents. Almost 70 per cent of civilian casualties since July 2020 have been caused by landmines and explosive devices.
- The Covid-19 situation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions has become increasingly critical, with hospitals reported to be functioning at maximum capacity in government-controlled areas and overwhelmed in non-government-controlled areas. This is severely affecting the provision of other health services.
The Crisis in Ukraine – Here are Nine things you should know about the crisis in Ukraine
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The Comboni Missionaries are an international Catholic religious and missionary Order founded by Bishop Daniel Comboni in Verona (Italy) in 1867, specifically to serve the missionary endeavour of the Catholic Church.