Situation Update - APRIL 2025

• The first two months of 2025 saw continued attacks across Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians and injuries to nearly 1,300 others, as the country marked the third year of the full-scale war.

• Over 20,000 people were displaced from seven front-line regions, mostly from Donetska and Khersonska Oblasts. Access to vital services remained heavily impacted, with 60 verified attacks on health workers or health facilities and more than 70 education facilities damaged or destroyed.

• Heavy fighting continued to affect humanitarian access. Seven humanitarian workers were injured in front-line areas, and strikes in the urban centres damaged humanitarian assets and facilities.

• Despite the challenges, humanitarian organizations reached 1.6 million people with vital aid and services in the first two months of 2025.

• One million people received critical winter support as part of the 2024-2025 Winter Response Plan, including district heating support, fuel, heaters and winter clothes.

• The announcement of funding suspension by a key donor in January 2025 led humanitarian actors to scale back or pause the provision of some programming. As the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan received just 15.5 per cent of the required financing so far in 2025, humanitarian actors have re-prioritized the response toward four strategic areas: support to front-line communities, emergency response, evacuations and assistance for displaced people.

In the first two months of 2025, continued attacks across Ukraine resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians and left nearly 1,300 injured, as the country marked the third year of the full-scale war on 24 February.

While anticipated nationwide blackouts were avoided, attacks on power systems severely disrupted essential services, particularly heating and water supplies.

Strikes on hospitals and schools continued, affecting access to vital services. In just two months, 60 attacks on health care were verified, and over 70 education facilities were damaged or destroyed.

As fighting intensified, over 20,000 people were displaced from seven front-line regions, including more than 14,000 people from Donetska and Khersonka oblasts.

For more information, download the Humanitarian Situation Snapshot (January - February 2025).

Heavy fighting continued to limit humanitarian access, making it harder to deliver life-saving aid to those worst affected. In January-February 2025, 47 access incidents were reported

The risk to aid workers remained grave: attacks within 10 kilometres of the front line injured seven humanitarian workers, and strikes in Kharkiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Sloviansk damaged humanitarian assets and facilities.

Additionally, the military conscription of male staff working with humanitarian partners continued to limit their ability to operate effectively.

For more information, download the Humanitarian Access Snapshot (January to February 2025)

Yet, the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan — seeking US$2.63 billion — received just 15.5 per cent of the required financing. The funding suspension by a key donor in January 2025 led humanitarian actors to scale back or pause the provision of some programming. 

With support for frontline communities identified as a strategic priority, aid organizations intensified efforts to reach those affected—both through regular service delivery and inter-agency humanitarian convoys

Humanitarian partners are now re-prioritizing the response to direct limited resources toward the most urgent needs in four strategic areas: support to frontline communities, emergency response, evacuations, and assistance for displaced populations. 

For more information, download the Humanitarian Response and Funding Snapshot (January - February 2025) 

A bicycle, a toy and a cat: What Ukraine’s fleeing families carry

“My greatest worry was my 85-year-old mother,” said Olena. “With the danger growing daily, we couldn’t stay – but I just didn’t know how to evacuate her safely.”

Humanitarian Mission Proliska, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that receives funding from the OCHA-managed Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, stepped in, organizing a safe evacuation for the entire family: Olena, her mother, her 13-year-old son and even their cat.

“Most of the people we help are elderly or have health conditions that make travel incredibly difficult,” said Denys Naumov from Humanitarian Mission Proliska, who coordinates evacuations in the Chernihiv and Sumy Regions. “Some can’t walk on their own. Others have no family to assist them. But staying behind means living with constant danger.” 

As needs remain high, humanitarian workers continue to provide vital support, often at great risk for their own lives. 

For more, read the full story