IOM Regional Ukraine Response Situation Report, Quarter 3 2023 – Ukraine

SITUATION OVERVIEW

The war in Ukraine continued to escalate throughout 2023, and the need for humanitarian assistance remains high. The delivery of assistance has become increasingly difficult due to intense fighting in the eastern and southern regions, particularly in front-line communities and newly accessible areas where needs are acute.

Since the termination of the Black Sea Initiative in July 2023, attacks on port and grain infrastructure resulted in additional challenges for agricultural exports from Ukraine. In August alone, more than 270,000 tons of grain were lost.
The consequences rippled through global markets, with Bloomberg reporting noticeable spikes in wheat and corn prices. Furthermore, farmers continue to struggle due to heavy land mine contamination, particularly in Ukraine’s agriculture regions – Kharkivska, Khersonska, and Mykolaivska oblasts.

In September, attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure caused electricity interruptions across multiple regions, including Kyiv, Rivne, Zhytomyr,
Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv. Future anticipated attacks on energy infrastructure, and water and gas systems will further aggravate the situation.

With the upcoming winter season in Ukraine – which typically starts in October – a new dimension to the humanitarian crisis arises in a country where an estimated 1.4 million homes have been damaged or destroyed (Ukraine Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment, March 2023). Adaptive and continual approaches using multi-sectoral responses are fundamental this winter to respond to emergencies and displacements associated with critical infrastructure attacks and shifting frontlines. In line with the recommendations from the World bank / UNDP Ukraine energy damage assessment, “preparation for the 2023/24 winter season need to primarily focus on restoring access to electricity supply for millions of Ukrainians as well as to critical social infrastructure, including heating, potable water, wastewater treatment and communication”.
IOM’s Winterization Response will focus on individual support to beneficiaries, combined with systems support, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of critical infrastructure.

On the international front, changes in protection and benefits schemes for refugees have introduced new challenges. In Czechia, the amendment of the ‘Lex Ukraine’ law on 1 July 2023, reduced state benefits for individuals with Temporary Protection status, including limitations on free emergency accommodation and housing allowances. In Hungary, as of 1 August 2023, financial support for refugee shelters was reduced, and a one-month limit for arriving refugees was introduced. This is compounded by the closure of the BOK Centre, a key service area and transit shelter for Ukrainian refugees.
Ukrainian nationals residing in the Republic of Moldova under emergency law faced a deadline of 13 August 2023, to regularize their status through various means, including applications for Temporary Protection status, or working visas/ residence permits: failure to register hinders their access to government services.

In recent days, the Russian Federation announced that it has limited entry of Ukrainians arriving from third countries, starting from 16 October, to only two entry points: Vientuli/Ludonka at the Latvian-Russian border and Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. These new requirements will likely create bottlenecks in the ground border entry points, given consistent back and forth movements of Ukrainians to date between Estonia, Latvia and Russian Federation territory.
Given the border point selected lacks services and infrastructure for waiting families, IOM will continue to work with the Government of Latvia and partners on possible support mechanisms.

Migrant arrivals into Europe from outside the region have begun to strain refugee hosting countries and increased concern on absorption capacity for migrants, and the fatigue of hosting states. To date, IOM has not witnessed a major impact on Ukrainian refugees or third country nationals and their status in neighbouring countries, though it continues to monitor and support states addressing non Ukraine related migrant arrivals to address concerns and decrease tensions. Social cohesion and equal access to services will likely increase in importance through the winter and into 2024.