Eastern Ukraine: Current humanitarian situation and outlook

Conflict has been affecting people’s lives and driving humanitarian needs in eastern Ukraine, particularly in Donbas region, since 2014. One consequence has been the separation of the country into the government-controlled areas (GCAs) and the non-government-controlled areas (NGCAs) with a 427km-long contact line, where most security incidents between government and non-government forces occur (OCHA 13/01/2022). There are five crossing points along the line, but only two are operational. The other three have been closed since March 2020 because of COVID-19 containment measures. Both COVID-19 measures and insecurity result in movement restrictions, limiting access to basic services, livelihood activities, and aid. As at January 2022, about 2.9 million people have humanitarian needs, with 1.6 million people coming from NGCAs. There are over 1.46 million registered IDPs. This number includes those who regularly cross the contact line to be registered as IDPs, which is a requirement to continue receiving pensions.