Additional information Ukraine
Situation in Ukraine
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a massive invasion of Ukraine. That day around 5 a.m. (EET), Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” in eastern Ukraine. A few minutes later missile strikes began across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv. The initial Russian invasion slowed over time, but long-range missiles caused significant damage to Ukrainian military assets, urban residential areas, and communication and transportation infrastructure. Hospitals and residential complexes were also exposed to shelling and bombing. At the end of March, Russia announced that it would reduce military activity near Kyiv and Chernihiv. By April 6, Russia had withdrawn its troops from the capital of Ukraine. After Russia’s withdrawal from Kyiv, Ukrainian civilians described the war crimes committed by Russian forces. There were reports of summary executions, torture, and rape. By May, Russian forces had taken control of Mariupol, a large and strategically important port in Ukraine. Most of the fighting since the summer of 2022 has been confined to the south and east of Ukraine, and cities along the coast were being destroyed. At the beginning of September, Ukrainian forces made progress in the north-east of the country and launched a revitalized southern counteroffensive. The United Nations Office has recorded more than five thousand civilian casualties and more than six thousand civilian injuries since Russia’s military invasion. Violence forced the internal displacement of nearly seven million Ukrainians and more than six million were forced to flee to neighboring countries. Since the middle of October 2022, Russia has launched its biggest attack on Ukraine with attacks on military and energy facilities.
Source: Foreign Policy Magazine (https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fforeignpolicy.com%2F2022%2F06%2F03%2Frussia-war-ukraine-100-days-impunity-interational-law-g7-summit%2F&psig=AOvVaw043cjPXu9JHitpkvkW6ddv&ust=1666683484708000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjRxqFwoTCODQqvqt-PoCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE )
Humanitarian conditions are getting worse as well as security. Mothers with children in the occupied parts of Ukraine mostly opt for one of the refugee routes. Refugee routes mostly take place towards neighboring countries such as Bulgaria, Czech, Hungary, Poland, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia. Some of the refugees stay on the first route, but most continue to do so to safer countries. UNICEF is working with its partners to strengthen child rescue services in Ukraine. According to data from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees of the UNCHR dated 19 July 2022, close to 6 million individual refugees from Ukraine were recorded across Europe, with the largest number of women and children. While 7 million people have been internally displaced in Ukraine.
Croatia, Source: 24 sata
