The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Ongoing Russian attacks in Ukraine force frontline areas to empty: UNHCR
With Ukrainian cities still reeling from this week’s deadly Russian missile and drone attacks, communities on the front line continue to be targeted too, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday. “We also see attacks on frontline regions increasing and it's, as always, civilians that are bearing the highest cost of the war,” said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine.
Since January, more than 3,500 newly displaced people have transited through a centre in Pavlohrad towards central Ukraine and last month, more than 4,200 evacuees arrived at another centre in the northeastern city of Sumy, where UNHCR and partners provide humanitarian support. In total more than 200,000 people have been evacuated or displaced from frontline areas between August last year and the start of 2025. These numbers are only a fraction of all those made homeless by the violence and mandatory evacuation orders issued by Kyiv in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.
The majority of those being moved are the elderly with low mobility or disabilities, families with few resources and children. In many cases, they stayed until the end because they didn't want to leave everything they had behind, UNHCR said.
It has now been more than 38 months since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
On Thursday, UN aid agencies led condemnation of Russian missile-and-drone attack on Kyiv that killed 12 people and injured 84, one of a wave of attacks across the country that point to an intensification of the conflict since the start of the year - and growing humanitarian needs for refugees.
“Those deadly Russian attacks have intensified alarmingly since January,” said Ms. Billing, speaking to journalists in Geneva via videolink from Kyiv. “More than 1,000 people have been directly affected as their homes have been damaged or completely destroyed. Civilian infrastructure were also hit in several other regions yesterday, including in Kharkiv, where I myself woke up around 2am in the morning to the loud sound of explosions."
According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, civilian casualties in Ukraine were 70 per cent higher in March this year compared to 12 months earlier. In recent weeks, large-scale attacks on cities including Sumy, Kryvyi Rih, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Marhanets and more have killed and injured civilians and caused damage to residential areas and people’s homes, medical facilities, schools and other infrastructure.
The war has left four million people internally displaced since 24 February 2022 when Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine. Many of those uprooted have yet to find affordable housing and a new job - which is why support from humanitarian organizations is so crucial, the UNHCR official insisted.
“One of the main things we deliver as part of the emergency response are emergency shelter materials that help people cover broken windows, roofs and doors,” Ms. Billing said.
Since 2022, UNHCR has supported around 450,000 people making repairs on their homes. The UN agency also provides psychological first aid and legal support to those who have lost their identity documents and emergency cash assistance to help people cover most basic needs.
But more support is needed to sustain a timely and predictable response to the many calls for assistance the agency receives from the affected people and the authorities. “UNHCR and our partners, we have the capacity and reach to efficiently deliver, provided we receive the necessary funding,” insisted Ms. Billing.
ast year, US funding for UNHCR accounted for around 40 per cent of its overall contributions. In 2025, UNHCR requires a total of $803.5 million to address the emergency situation in Ukraine. Today, the appeal is 25 per cent funded. During the winter period, the agency had to put some of its programmes partially on-hold, covering psychosocial support, emergency shelter material and cash assistance.
Ends
Story: “Ukraine attacks - UNHCR” – Friday 25 April 2025
Speaker:
- Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine
TRT: 02’48”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 25 April 2025 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
Geneva Press briefing
SHOTLIST
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley.
- Wide shot of the podium with speakers at the press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine: “On 24 of April, Kyiv’s residents woke up to another deadly Russian attack and these have really intensified alarmingly since the start of this year. Just in Kyiv 12 people were killed as a result of these attacks across the city, 84 were injured and more than 1,000 people have been directly affected as their homes have been damaged or completely destroyed. But civilians and infrastructure were also hit in several other regions yesterday, including in Kharkiv, where I myself woke up around 02:00am in the morning to the loud sound of explosions.”
- Cutaway - Medium shot of the press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine: “The UN's human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine reports that civilian casualties in Ukraine were in March this year 70 per cent higher compared to March last year.”
- Wide shot of the press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine: “One of the main things we deliver as part of this emergency response are emergency shelter materials that help people cover broken windows, roofs and doors. And since 2022, we have supported around 450,000 people with such materials. We're also, as part of this emergency response, providing psychological first aid.”
- Cutaway lateral shot of the press conference room and journalists.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine: “We also see attacks on frontline regions increasing and it's, as always, civilians that are bearing the highest cost of the war. The escalation of hostilities along frontline areas has forced more civilians to flee and prompted the Ukrainian authorities to issue new mandatory evacuation orders.”
- Medium shot of journalists at the press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine: “More than 200,000 people have been evacuated or displaced from frontline areas between August last year and the start of 2025.”
- Close shot of journalists listening.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Ukraine: “What we see is that more is really needed to sustain a timely and a predictable response to the calls from the affected people and the authorities. UNHCR and our partners, we have the capacity and the reach to efficiently deliver, provided we receive the necessary funding.”
- Various shots of the press conference room.
MORE INFO:
Download video material - B-Roll: https://media.unhcr.org/Share/vkpxnn4480671cn71ceccra5bc4jwm76Briefing Notes: https://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/unhcr-responds-latest-wave-deadly-attacks-ukraine?auHash=0v20qkeGqY777svSWBvb3KHnlmsR71TzPNG6bNG5CCI
Download video material - B-Roll: https://media.unhcr.org/Share/vkpxnn4480671cn71ceccra5bc4jwm76
Briefing Notes: https://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/unhcr-responds-latest-wave-deadly-attacks-ukraine?auHash=0v20qkeGqY777svSWBvb3KHnlmsR71TzPNG6bNG5CCI
Similar Stories
2
1
2
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | HRC
The UN’s top human rights forum gathered in Geneva on Monday, where Member States highlighted the growing civilian toll of war in the Middle East, sparked by Israeli and U.S. bombing of Iran, counter-strikes by Tehran against Gulf states and Israeli shelling of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in response to attacks by the armed group.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL , UNFPA , IOM , UNHCR
As the UN Secretary-General touched down in Beirut on Friday in solidarity with the people of Lebanon, UN agencies highlighted the dangers for civilians and particularly pregnant women and migrant workers, amid ongoing airstrikes and rocket fire between Hezbollah fighters and Israel.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | HRC
Russia’s deportations of Ukrainian children amount to crimes against humanity: independent UN rights probe
Scores of Ukrainian children are still missing after being deported far and wide across Russia and occupied territories while their families continue to search for them, human rights investigators said on Thursday.
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | OCHA
The UN’s emergency relief chief on Wednesday condemned the “$1 billion-a-day” cost of the war roiling the Middle East, at a time of severe cuts to the global body’s humanitarian work in emergencies and “soaring” needs.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , WHO , UNHCR , UNICEF , WFP
Middle East war: UN warns of ‘toxic rain’ danger from oil depot strikes as mass displacement, aid supply shocks spread
Toxic “black rain” linked to strikes on oil depots, mass displacement and continuing disruption to humanitarian supply chains are upending lives across the Middle East and beyond after 10 days of war in the region, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on Friday made the following remarks on Israel’s military ground incursions and displacement orders in Lebanon.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , IOM , WHO
The escalating war in the Middle East has heightened growing concerns about further civilian suffering and displacement in the region and far beyond, UN agencies said on Friday.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk made the following remarks at a press stake out on the current situation in the Middle East.
“The crisis sparked in the Middle East one week ago following US and Israeli attacks on Iran, and Iran’s counterattacks, has been spreading like wildfire. It is causing significant damage in Iran, Israel and at least a dozen other countries, mostly in the Gulf, with risks of major economic and environmental ramifications across the world,” he said.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on Tuesday made the following remarks on the current situation in the Middle-East.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNHCR , WFP
Schoolgirls killed, thousands displaced, aid routes compromised: UN humanitarians deplore effects of new Middle East war
On the fourth day of Israeli and United States airstrikes against Iran and amid growing violence and instability in the Middle East, the UN urgently called for protection of civilians and warned of growing displacement and humanitarian needs.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM
Well over 1.3 million people have fled Sudan’s ongoing war for South Sudan, the UN migration agency, IOM, reported on Friday, amid rising violence and a massive humanitarian emergency linked to the country’s political crisis.
2
1
2
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | HRC , OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday presented to the 61st Human Rights Council his global update on the human rights situation.