Statement of UNHCR Representative
I am appalled and heartbroken to learn that one of our humanitarian colleagues, who had been working as a protection staff for our Ukrainian NGO partner, Right to Protection, was killed in the Russian missile attack on Chernihiv city centre this morning. He leaves...
A New Start: An 18-month long journey from hurt to healing
After Russia’s full-scale invasion began, 37-year-old Lavra* and her 13-year-old son, Anton, had to flee their home in a small industrial town in eastern Ukraine. However, they were not only escaping from the war. “This has been an absolute horror,” says...
Helping make Olga’s home livable again
Olga remembers the moment that war came to her neighbourhood. “We were at home, and suddenly there was a deafening sound followed by an explosive wave,” she recalls. “Immediately the windows in our kitchen shattered.” “Nobody understood what was happening – only...
UNHCR in Ukraine announces a call for application for the DAFI Scholarship programme for the 2023-2024 academic year
Deadline for applications: 21 August 2023 You are invited to apply for the DAFI scholarship Programme funded by the German Government and administered by UNHCR with the goal of helping refugee students to access education. The scholarship will cover all tuition fees,...
Voices of Roma in war-torn Ukraine
“In the first weeks of war, we worked non-stop to support Roma people who were fleeing frontline areas in Khersonska and Mykolaivska oblasts under shelling and arriving to Odesa. We could not find a place in the collective sites for them even when spaces were...
Fresh homes and fresh starts for families in Chernihiv – welcome to UNHCR’s “Core homes”
Losing one’s home and community is devastating. But it is a reality for some 1.4 million households across Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. One-third of these homes are damaged beyond repair. In order to provide these families and...
Improving services of the Free Legal Aid Centers for undocumented people
The World Bank estimated there were 395,863 persons without an identity document (ID) in Ukraine at the end of 2021. Forced displacement due to the ongoing full-scale invasion in Ukraine can increase the risk that people are unable to prove their identity because they...
At the site of Lviv missile attack: Sharing and easing pain of losing the loved ones
“I live about 5 kilometres away from where the missiles hit but the sound of the explosion was so loud that I immediately thought the scale of destruction might be immense,” recalls Andrii Rudyk who provides legal assistance at UNHCR’s NGO partner NEEKA office in...
A widowed mother of eight starts a life from scratch in a new city and inspires other displaced women
The full-scale invasion has displaced nearly 6 million people inside Ukraine. Uzhhorod, situated in the west of Ukraine, on the border with Slovakia and Hungary, has welcomed those in search of safety, with many embarking on a new life, learning new skills and...