Over the past eleven months, the Russia-Ukraine international armed conflict has caused innumerable deaths and injuries, and devastating damage to public infrastructure. Nearly one third of the population in Ukraine has been forced to leave their homes and it is estimated that 17.7 million Ukrainians (= 50% of the remaining population) are in need for help (Source OCHA).

The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is supporting millions of people affected by the conflict with relief goods, cash and voucher assistance, shelter support and health and care services. During January 2022 attacks on infrastructure continued and the work of URCS and AutRC teams was hampered by air raids as well as electricity and water cuts. The URCS Office in Kherson was shelled twice.

Despite the challenges, the implementation of AutRC supported projects is progressing well, with current focus on health, winter assistance, and cash support of host families. At the same time, future programming (adding livelihoods and disaster preparedness) is developed. Capacity constraints (both for URCS and AutRC) on financial reporting require improvement in the next period. January was also characterized by preparations (communication/visibility) for the 1-year-mark of the conflict escalation (24Feb), including the visit of the President of Austria in early February.