More than four years after the start of the war in Ukraine, the human toll continues to rise at an alarming rate. Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General, described the conflict as “nearly 1,500 days of death, destruction and despair”, reiterating the call for an immediate ceasefire. Since the start of hostilities, at least 15,364 civilians have been killed, including 775 children, and over 42,000 have been injured, although the actual figures may be higher. In February alone, there were at least 188 civilian fatalities and 757 injuries, marking a 45% increase compared to the same period last year and indicating an escalation in violence.
Attacks continue to target cities such as Kharkiv, Kyiv, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, whilst the number of raids on rail and transport infrastructure is rising. During the winter, damage to the energy system brought the electricity grid to the brink of collapse: 60% of gas production capacity has been destroyed and all power stations have been damaged, resulting in widespread cuts to electricity, heating and water supplies. In Odessa, energy, industrial and port infrastructure has been hit, and on 19 March a drone attack on residential buildings left four people injured.
Meanwhile, Russia reported the largest drone operation against Moscow, which took place between 14 and 16 March, with at least 250 drones shot down and no civilian casualties reported. In the regions of Kursk, Belgorod, Bryansk and Krasnodar, on the border with Ukraine, damage and casualties have been reported, although the figures cannot be verified. Furthermore, on 7 March, damage to the Novodnistrovsk hydroelectric power station caused an oil spill and the pollution of the Nistru River, resulting in a 15-day environmental alert in Moldova.
On the humanitarian front, the United Nations has denounced a ‘pattern’ of attacks on essential civilian infrastructure, forcing aid organisations to compensate for the collapse of basic services. A particularly serious incident occurred on 20 March, when a humanitarian vehicle, engaged in the evacuation of elderly people in the Donetsk region, was struck by a drone. Despite the difficulties, in January humanitarian organisations reached almost one million people with food, health and economic assistance, as well as protection. However, the $2 billion response plan for 2024, intended to support 3.6 million people, remains only minimally funded, prompting the UN to urgently call for greater resources and safe, unhindered access for workers on the ground
