Airstrikes in Ukraine: UNHCR responds with home repairs and support to heal mental scars
Airstrikes in Ukraine: UNHCR responds with home repairs and support to heal mental scars
Nadiia sits on the bed where she was lying when a Russian missile attack struck her neighbourhood in Zaporizhzhia in January this year.
On 23 January, 70-year-old Nadiia was tucked up in bed in the apartment she shared with her husband, daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter. In one terrifying instant, her world was turned upside down.
A massive Russian aerial attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia in southeast Ukraine shook Nadiia’s entire neighbourhood, resulting in over 50 civilian casualties. From her bed, Nadiia remembers hearing a huge explosion: “Then I saw a ball of fire flying inside and shattering glass.”
Broken glass rained down on her and, along the hallway, Nadiia’s daughter suffered a leg wound from the debris thrown up by the blast. With the power knocked out, panic ensued as the family rushed to get outside. Paramedics arrived swiftly, but in the confusion, Nadiia’s husband lost track of which ambulance had taken her away. Fortunately, the family all survived and were later reunited.
Months later, Nadiia sits at the end of the bed where she lay that night. The window that had showered her with glass is now covered with a sturdy wooden board, provided shortly after the attack by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its NGO partners. It was part of an emergency shelter kit that helped the family quickly secure their apartment from the elements so they could remain in their home during the cold winter months.
Nadiia shows a photo on her phone of her damaged apartment in the aftermath of the missile attack in January.
This rapid response was made possible thanks to flexible funding provided by private and government donors, which proves a crucial lifeline at the start of every year as UNHCR Ukraine, like many other UNHCR operations around the world, awaits annual donor contributions to fund its programmes.
The war in Ukraine – and the critical humanitarian needs it has created – continue unabated. UNHCR and its partners are constantly called on by local authorities and communities to deliver vital assistance in the wake of attacks, such as emergency shelter kits to help affected families quickly seal broken windows, damaged doors and holes in roofs and walls, allowing them to remain in their homes. With the materials provided – tarpaulin, wooden boards, nails, plastic sheets and foam – people can protect their homes from the cold, rain and snow and prevent further deterioration until lasting repairs are carried out.
“It was exactly what we needed at that time – wooden boards, plastic film and blankets. And the most important thing was the smile I saw. You do not see anything, do not remember or realize what happened, and then suddenly you see a smile. It means that you are alive, and you are grateful to everyone for that,” Nadiia said.
Mental scars
While the physical damage to her apartment could be addressed relatively quickly, Nadiia’s mental scars will take longer to heal.
UNHCR’s local NGO partner Proliska provided her with psychosocial first-aid in the wake of the attack, which is also part of UNHCR’s emergency response. But as Russia’s full-scale invasion continues, exposing Ukrainians daily to deadly attacks, displacement, family separations, anxiety and uncertainty, the road to full recovery remains a long one.
Every time the air raid sirens sound, which in Zaporizhzhia is dozens of times a day, Nadiia’s pulse races and her senses are on high alert, listening for the sounds of approaching missiles and looking to her windows in fear of another explosion as she heads for cover.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, over 425,000 people have received emergency shelter materials from UNHCR and its NGO partners. Over 273,000 war-affected people were provided with psychosocial support, including directly after attacks or following evacuations from the frontline areas.
“In Ukraine, where aerial attacks have increased over the past year and the situation remains very volatile, and nobody knows where the next attack will hit, we have to be agile and respond when and where it is needed the most,” said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR’s Representative in Ukraine.
“Our ability to respond swiftly is due to the strong support of our donors, and flexible funding is really keeping our response predictable and efficient at the start of the year. Flexible funding ensures we have the capacity to provide much-needed humanitarian assistance in a timely manner.”
UNHCR is generously supported by the following top flexible donors: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Republic of Korea, Australia, Ireland, Germany and Belgium.
