Ukraine: As war enters its fifth year, humanitarian needs grow more complex

Across eastern and southern Ukraine, entire neighbourhoods have been gradually emptied as families evacuate in search of safety. At the same time, many people – often older persons or individuals with limited mobility – remain in damaged homes with restricted access to services, livelihoods and social support.

Over the past year, DRC supported more than 20,750 people with shelter and housing assistance, including cash support for winter energy costs, light home repairs and emergency shelter kits, helping families remain in their homes despite deteriorating living conditions. For those living close to the front line, displacement is increasingly becoming a repeated experience, shaped by insecurity, deteriorating housing conditions and limited prospects for recovery.

The evolving nature of warfare, including the increased use of drones and long-range strikes, continues to place civilians at heightened risk while causing systematic damage to energy, water and other critical infrastructure. These disruptions not only affect access to basic services but also undermine local economies and recovery efforts in communities already facing housing shortages and prolonged instability.

To address the protection risks created by prolonged exposure to insecurity and displacement, DRC provided legal counselling to 7,711 people, helping 862 individuals secure civil or property documentation necessary to access housing, services and social protection.

Across its programmes, 1,827 people received psychosocial support, 60 survivors of explosive incidents received targeted cash assistance, and GBV services reached more than 1,143 individuals with life-saving information and support.

Landmine contamination and other explosive hazards remain a persistent threat, restricting safe movement and limiting access to farmland, employment opportunities and essential infrastructure.

In response, DRC reached more than 89,000 people with explosive ordnance risk education across operational areas and trained 610 local facilitators to support sustained community awareness. Surveys identified over 6.9 million square metres of hazardous land, with clearance operations ongoing to enable safer access to land and infrastructure.

With an estimated 10.8 million people across Ukraine in need of humanitarian assistance, sustained international support remains essential to ensure that war-affected communities can access protection services, safe housing and the support needed to stabilise their lives.

DRC remains committed to supporting war-affected communities across Ukraine through integrated programming delivered in partnership with national and local actors, focusing on those facing the most severe conditions as the war continues into its fifth year.