Ukraine Protection Analysis Update

The 24 February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has led to an international armed conflict constituting regular, direct and disproportionate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, forced displacement, destruction of civilian property, sexual violence, and infliction of psychological trauma and stress.

According to the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), 15.4 million individuals, including IDPs, returnees and non-displaced people are in need of humanitarian protection assistance, including Protection, Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Child Protection and Mine Action interventions. 4.4 million people in the East near the frontline and in areas under the temporary military control of the Russian Federation are at highest risk.

From February 2022 to June 2023, an estimated 4,043 acts of violence targeting civilians have been recorded across Ukraine —with three quarters of incidents consisting of shelling, artillery and missile strikes, rendering Ukraine the deadliest country in the world for violence in 2022 and causing continued untold harm to civilian populations.

The protection risks requiring immediate attention in the period covered by this analysis are:

1. Attacks against civilians and civilian Infrastructure
2. Impediments and/or restrictions to access legal identity, remedies and justice
3. Risks of mines & explosive ordnance
4. Gender-Based Violence
5. Infliction of trauma and distress to children through violence, abuse and destruction