In Ukraine, UNHCR’s Grandi urgently appeals for renewed support as the war rages on

KYIV – The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has warned of dramatic humanitarian suffering throughout Ukraine and worsening conditions as war-affected civilians suffer in the depths of winter.

Grandi wrapped up his week-long visit to the country late yesterday, his fourth since the full-scale Russian invasion two years ago, reaching some of the most destroyed and damaged parts of Ukraine, including areas affected by an increase in aerial attacks that have recently killed and wounded civilians and damaged homes and civilian infrastructure.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi met with Svitlana, a woman whose apartment was impacted during the missile attack in Dnipro on 29 December 2023.

© UNHCR/Iryna Tymchyshyn

He appealed in the strongest terms for much more international humanitarian support to the country, including to those displaced by the horrific violence and who are subjected to the harsh winter.

“The fighting has escalated and the humanitarian situation in the country is dramatic and urgent. Millions have been forced to flee the war and Russian attacks, and they are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance,” said Grandi. “Under the strong leadership of the Government, the United Nations and partners – especially Ukrainian organisations – have been doing all that they can to help, but without much more international support and funding, Ukrainian civilians will continue to suffer.”

Throughout his visit, including to Odesa, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Kyiv, Grandi was humbled by the efforts of ordinary Ukrainians who, despite the war and the hardship, refuse to give up and are returning to their homes, rebuilding and recovering in the midst of this awful war.

UNHCR