The conflict in eastern Ukraine that has been going on for more than four years has resulted
in one of country’s worst social crises. More than 10 000 people have now been killed, and
more than 25 000 injured in the conflict. The destruction caused by war, a weak economy,
and the spread of criminal activity in areas controlled by pro-Russian separatists have forced
more than 2 million people to leave their place of residence, according to official figures.
Approximately 1.5 million of these have moved to other regions in the country. Although
there is every indication that the true number is lower, the scale and consequences of the
problem mean that Ukraine is facing the greatest humanitarian crisis in its history.
Although the authorities in Kyiv have expressed their resolve to solve the humanitarian issues and reintegrate the eastern regions into the rest of the country as soon as possible, the
measures the state has taken have been inadequate and ineffective. The legal mechanisms
devised to assist displaced persons are often discriminatory and sometimes unlawful. This
failure to provide effective aid to displaced persons leaving the occupied areas has revealed
not only that the administrative apparatus is ineffectual, but also that Ukrainian politicians
are unwilling to take real measures to meet this challenge. In view of the ineffectiveness of
state institutions, most of the support given to internally displaced persons is being provided
by volunteers and by NGOs using international aid
