Ukraine: Humanitarian Situation, Response and Funding Snapshot (January - December 2025) [EN/UK]

In 2025 — the deadliest year for civilians since the start of the full-scale invasion — war-related humanitarian needs intensified, and the impact of attacks and displacement was felt across the country. Hostilities also damaged or destroyed homes, health-care facilities, schools, the energy grid and other civilian infrastructure. In 2025, more than 2,500 civilians were killed, and over 12,000 were injured — 31 per cent more than in 2024 — according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. Intensified fighting across front-line areas, particularly Donetska, Khersonska and Kharkivska oblasts, and continued attacks, affecting civilians further from the front line, increased in civilian casualties, particularly in June and July, and triggered a displacement surge from August. A large-scale strike on Kyiv on 31 July caused the city’s highest number of child casualties since February 2022. Long-range strikes, including missiles and drones, affected large urban centres, accounting for 33 per cent of all civilian casualties in December alone.

Civilians living near the front line and in areas under Russian occupation faced the most severe humanitarian impacts, as insecurity and access constraints persisted. Short-range drones remained the primary cause of civilian casualties in front-line areas, followed by artillery shelling and aerial bombardment, which damaged homes, energy and water infrastructure, and restricted movement. Conditions were most acute in eastern and southern oblasts, particularly Donetska, Kharkivska and Khersonska oblasts, while humanitarian needs also increased in Chernihivska, Dnipropetrovska, Sumska and Zaporizka oblasts. Prolonged exposure to violence eroded coping capacity and increased reliance on humanitarian assistance, especially among older people and people with disabilities.

Around 3.7 million people remained internally displaced across Ukraine through late 2025, evidence of sustained displacement trends and limited returns, according to IOM. New displacements from areas under mandatory evacuation remained a defining feature of civilian life in active front-line areas. Shifts in territorial control and intensified fighting triggered new movements, with more than 150,000 people evacuated with support from the Government or humanitarian actors, while many others fled independently.

By the end of the year, humanitarian partners had reached 5 million people with at least one form of assistance, including 3.1 million reached under the re-prioritized target. Winter response activities reached around 1.5 million people by the end of December, including over 1.1 million assisted through district heating interventions.

By the end of December, humanitarians received US$1.37 billion out of $2.63 billion of funds or 52 per cent requested amount by the 2025 HNRP. As needs evolve in 2026, due to the impact of strikes on energy infrastructure in large cities like Kyiv, it is fundamental to have sustained and flexible donor support to protect the most vulnerable people of Ukraine.