‘Appalled by destruction’: UN High Commissioner for Refugees visits eastern and southern Ukraine

This was reported by the press service of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

"I was appalled by the level of destruction I saw as a result of Russian missiles and shelling. Civilian infrastructure like power plants, water systems, kindergartens and apartment buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Civilians, including children and the elderly, have been killed or fled their homes, having their entire lives uprooted by these senseless attacks,” he said.

He also emphasized that despite the destruction of buildings, the spirit of the Ukrainian people remains unbroken.

"I’m so inspired by their strength and resilience. It’s up to all of us – the international community – to support them as they embark on recovery. I call on States, international financial institutions and others to contribute to this task – and quickly," Grandi said.

Thanks to a network of Ukrainian partners, especially local civil society organizations, UNHCR has significantly scaled up its response in Ukraine since February last year as part of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator's inter-agency response.

The response includes expanding operations further east and south to hard-to-reach and newly accessible areas, delivering cash and non-food assistance to war-affected civilians, providing emergency shelter kits to those whose homes have been damaged, carrying out housing repairs and providing legal support and psychosocial counselling for war-affected people.

More than 4.3 million Ukrainians have been assisted by UNHCR through these and other types of services and support since the beginning of the invasion, the UN refugee agency says.

At the same time, Grandi warned that humanitarian needs remain serious, especially in the frontline regions, so funding for humanitarian operations must be maintained and expanded.

According to the High Commissioner, the UN appeals on the situation in Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees will be launched in Geneva on February 15.

Grandi also confirmed that UNHCR has agreed to work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and other partners to build the capacity of Ukraine's consular infrastructure to better protect and assist Ukrainians abroad, including those planning to return home.

In addition, UNHCR has also discussed with the authorities the situation of unaccompanied and separated Ukrainian children in Russia.  Filippo Grandi promised that UNHCR, together with other international partners, would seek further access to them and advocate for solutions in their best interests, including family reunification.

• On January 25, Zelenskyy discussed Russia's mass deportation of Ukrainian children with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees