The humanitarian consequences of the Ukrainian crisis will be long-lasting.

• Aid agencies warn that the rising conflict in Ukraine will result in massive civilian casualties, soaring humanitarian needs, and one of the largest new displacement crises in recent years.
  
• According to the UNHCR, more than 600,000 people have fled Ukraine, with an additional 4 million expected to migrate in the following months.
• The Ukrainian crisis will result in a huge number of internally displaced persons, and its effects will be felt for a long time by many individuals.

An continuing conflict's escalation

Since 2014, the conflict in Eastern Ukraine has been raging between the Ukrainian military and separatists backed by Russia. In the last eight years, the fighting has claimed the lives of 13,000 individuals, 3,400 of whom were civilians, and displaced over 850,000 others. But how did we end up here in the first place?

Pro-Russian unrest erupted in Ukraine during the 2014 revolution, culminating in Russia annexing the strategically vital region of Crimea and pro-Russian separatists launching a fight with Ukrainian government forces in the Donbas region. Aid agencies, who were aiding 2.5 million people at the time, including 800,000 people still living along the contact line, were encountering increasing difficulties in delivering aid to separatist-controlled areas.

After eight years of conflict, over three million people in Eastern Ukraine are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance – and the situation has only worsened as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as people have become more vulnerable and reliant on the ongoing delivery of protection and humanitarian aid.

The current crises' seriousness

There were about three million people in need of humanitarian aid in Ukraine even before the recent escalation of hostilities. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), four million Ukrainian refugees are expected to escape to neighbouring countries in the next months.

But that's not all: the United Nations expects that 12 million people in Ukraine will require assistance and protection. According to Janez Lenari, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, a total of 16 million people would require humanitarian help, potentially making it the worst humanitarian crisis on the European continent in decades.

The effect on families and children is particularly worrisome. Due to major infrastructure damage, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children are without safe drinking water, heating, or power. Children have been among the victims injured by explosive weapons in vast impact areas, and they are suffering from significant trauma as a result of the tragedy surrounding them.

For this reason, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is warning citizens in Ukraine to avoid densely populated regions, particularly as the number of civilians injured in such strikes continues to rise.

This is how the international community is reacting.

As the world watches the crisis unfold, reactions to the rising humanitarian catastrophe inside and outside of Ukraine have been promising. The United States has pledged approximately $54 million in humanitarian aid to the country. The European Union is organising emergency help and has increased humanitarian assistance. The European Commission has pledged an additional €90 million ($100 million) to support people harmed by the war.

The United Nations made a coordinated emergency appeal for $1.7 billion over the next three months to provide essential humanitarian assistance to people in Ukraine and refugees in neighbouring countries.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) urges all parties to follow international humanitarian law in order to ensure humanitarian access to civilians and combatants inside Ukraine. Due to increased violence in Ukraine, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is requesting CHF150 million ($163 million) to aid people in need.

The EU has granted Ukrainians the right to stay and work in the 27-nation bloc for up to three years after considering methods to help individuals escaping the violence in Ukraine from the outside. Many people have also stepped forward to assist by transporting food, medication, clothing, and other necessities to the borders where refugees have been passing.

However, as the crisis continues to develop over time – and other nations are affected as well – money will be required for a longer period of time. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have published a joint statement in support of Ukraine, and are considering several possibilities, including fast-track financing.

The significance of treating all refugees with dignity

Several reports claim that Africans and other nationals fleeing Ukraine have been denied access to trains or have been prevented from crossing borders into neighbouring countries to seek refuge. It is critical that all people fleeing war receive equitable treatment.

The Ukraine crisis is another another disaster that is affecting the most vulnerable, driving them to escape in the face of an uncertain future and contributing to the world's vast number of displaced people.

Whether the world is seeing a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Ethiopia, or Syria, all refugees must be respected and international protection – as well as their human dignity – guaranteed. Ukraine's international outrage and media attention should set a new benchmark for humanitarian disasters and people seeking asylum around the world.

The UNHCR estimates that 82.4 million people have been forcibly displaced around the world, a record number of people in need of protection and assistance. The Ukrainian crisis will result in a large number of internally displaced people and refugees leaving the country's conflict, and its consequences will be felt by many for months and years to come.

For as long as the crisis lasts, the international community must continue to help the country.