UNHCR / UKRAINE KHARKIV SITUATION

According to the UN Refugee Agency, thousands of people were evacuated from their villages in Kharkiv region’s border areas by Ukrainian authorities with the help of volunteers and humanitarian organizations. UNHCR

• Video Length: 00:04:44
• Production Date: 11 June 2024
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGUEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: DISPLACED PERSONS
• Geographic Subject: UKRAINE
• MAMS Id: 3217195
• Parent Id: 3217195
• Alternate Title: unifeed240611c

Description

STORY: UNHCR / UKRAINE KHARKIV SITUATION
TRT: 04:44
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNHCR ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / UKRAINIAN / NATS

DATELINE: 10 JUNE 2024, KHARKIV, UKRAINE

Shotlist

1. Various shots, evacuees, transit center
2. Various shots, Kharkiv skyline
3. Wide shot, Ukraine flag
4. Various shots, destroyed buildings
5. Various shots, collective site registration, distribution of NFI
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Viktoriia Tiutiunnyk, Protection Associate, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR):
“My name is Viktoriia Tiutiunnyk and I am from UNHCR Ukraine and today we are in the city of Kharkiv at the transit center established for people being evacuated from Vovchans’k and the surrounding areas, trying to escape active hostilities and find safety and security here. Actually, this is the place where humanitarian workers, volunteers, and local authorities who are trying to provide first and quick response for all those people in need. So, once they come, what can they receive here? So actually, this is the first medical assistance for those who need this and some very essential items
because almost all of them, they do not have anything.”
7. Various shots, child friendly space, collective site
8. Close up, bullet holes in building
9. Wide shot, people sitting outside destroyed café building
10. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Vladimer Fedorovich, displaced:
“I am Vladimir Fedorovich; this is my wife.”
11. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Tatyana Ivanovna, displaced:
“Tatyana Ivanovna. We live at the border. The front of our building survived the first invasion. For the second one, we do not have enough strength, patience and nerves. We
don’t wish something like that on anybody. Therefore, we decided to be closer to the children. Because we were without the children, without grandchildren, without connection, without light.”
12. UPSOUND (Ukrainian) UNHCR Staff:
“And what are your need now? What do you need most?”
13. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Vladimer Fedorovich, displaced:
“That war ends!”
14. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Tatyana Ivanovna, displaced:
“To have peace and to return home as soon as possible. And not to be at some other place, but our native home.”
15. Various shots, destroyed buildings

Storyline

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), thousands of people were evacuated from their villages in Kharkiv region’s border areas by Ukrainian authorities with the help of volunteers and humanitarian organizations.

Most of the evacuees, who had to escape their homes with only a few belongings, are already highly vulnerable and include mainly older people and those with low mobility or disabilities who were not able to flee earlier.

Psychologists with whom UNHCR partners report that as a consequence, many are suffering from acute stress.

To receive and support many of the highly vulnerable evacuees, a transit center was immediately set up in Kharkiv city by the authorities and humanitarian organizations, including UNHCR and UNHCR’s national NGO partners Proliska and Right to Protection.

They have now been registered as internally displaced people, provided with different types of humanitarian assistance such as basic relief items, psychosocial and legal aid, enrolled for cash assistance and advised on available accommodation options.

Most evacuees have expressed a clear wish to stay with family members or in rental accommodation and collective sites in Kharkiv and not move further from their homes, to be able to return when the situation allows.

Alongside other humanitarian partners, and in coordination with authorities, UNHCR is exploring additional options for temporary accommodation.

At the same time, more people continue to flee from frontline communities in Donetsk, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions towards central and western regions.

Here, the authorities leading the response are requesting support to help receive and assist the internally displaced people.

It is possible that the number of people displaced and evacuated may increase in coming weeks and months, if the aerial attacks continue and in anticipation of the winter months.

UNHCR is particularly concerned about the winter season, as needs will be massive in Ukraine due to the destruction of energy infrastructure coupled with the attacks against settlements in frontline areas and against urban centres.