Thousands of people were evacuated from their villages in Kharkiv region’s border areas by Ukrainian authorities with the help of volunteers and humanitarian organizations.

The majority of the evacuees, who had to escape their homes with only a few belongings, are already highly vulnerable and include mainly older people and those with low mobility or disabilities who were not able to flee earlier. Psychologists with whom UNHCR partners report that as a consequence, many are suffering from acute stress.

To receive and support many of the highly vulnerable evacuees, a transit center was immediately set up in Kharkiv city by the authorities and humanitarian organizations, including UNHCR and our national NGO partners Proliska and Right to Protection. T

hey have now been registered as internally displaced people, provided with different types of humanitarian assistance such as basic relief items, psychosocial and legal aid, enrolled for cash assistance and advised on available accommodation options.

The vast majority of evacuees have expressed a clear wish to stay with family members or in rental accommodation and collective sites in Kharkiv and not move further from their homes, to be able to return when the situation allows. Alongside other humanitarian partners, and in coordination with authorities, UNHCR is exploring additional options for temporary accommodation.

At the same time, more people continue to flee from frontline communities in Donetsk, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions towards central and western regions. Here, the authorities leading the response are requesting support to help receive and assist the internally displaced people.

It is possible that the number of people displaced and evacuated may increase in coming weeks and months, if the aerial attacks continue and in anticipation of the winter months. UNHCR is particularly concerned about the winter season, as needs will be massive in Ukraine due to the destruction of energy infrastructure coupled with the attacks against settlements in frontline areas and against urban centres.

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