Protection of Civilians Week: spotlight on Ukraine

DRC highlight the following as key protection concerns in Ukraine. 

Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure

There is an alarming rise in civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure due to ongoing hostilities. April 2025 was the deadliest month for civilians since September 2024, with 209 civilians killed and 1,146 injured – an increase of 84% from April 2024 (OHCHR, Ukraine: Protection of civilians in armed conflict, March 2025).

DRC Protection Monitoring for March 2025 showed that 74% of respondents said they felt “very unsafe” or “unsafe” (DRC Protection monitoring dashboard). In April, Russian armed forces conducted at least six attacks on power generation, transmission, and distribution facilities in Kherson region, resulting in temporary power outages and suspension of public electric transport services.

Ongoing attacks are not only an immediate threat to life but are also forcing people to leave their homes and communities. DRC Protection monitoring showed that between January-April 2025, 94.5% of respondents said that their displacement was triggered by shelling or attacks on civilians (DRC Protection monitoring dashboard).

Limited access to housing among IDPs

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) face elevated challenges in securing stable and affordable housing. A significant number live in partially or severely damaged housing conditions. On top of this, rising rental costs are intensifying financial strain on IDP households; a study by DRC Protection Monitoring showed 70% of IDPs in Ukraine report gaps in meeting their basic needs.  

• Read more about access to housing 

Gender-based violence

The ongoing conflict, combined with power outages and inadequate shelter, is heightening gender-based violence (GBV) risks for women and girls.   In DRC Protection monitoring, female respondents reported heightened risks due to the lack of street lighting, making them feel unsafe when walking alone at night. Women also noted the dangers of relying on passing transport to reach their destinations and increased anxiety caused by limited access to communication power during blackouts.

Adolescent girls and members of the Roma community have been identified as particularly vulnerable to GBV, facing unique barriers due to discrimination and lack of access to support systems.  

GBV risks are compounded by the lack of specialised services, including safe shelters, for GBV survivors in Ukraine. Government of Ukraine GBV-specialised services are overstretched, under-funded and the quality of services varies widely. While humanitarian GBV services have scaled up to meet growing needs, key gaps remain.

• Read about DRC’s work in combatting GBV in Ukraine