Ukraine Conflict: 2 Years On
February 24th marked two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion into Ukraine, the largest attack on a European country since World War II. Those past 24 months have been marked by tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties, millions fleeing the country, and millions more internally displaced within its borders. The refugee crisis is the worst Europe has faced in over 70 years. Russian forces targeted hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure and widespread accounts of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the abduction of children prompted the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Putin.
Counterclockwise from top left: photo by Tom Kemp; photo by Brook of Hope; photo by Jade Koroliuk
Today, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates:
- Over 10,000 Ukrainian civialians have been killed
- Nearly 20,000 more wounded
- Approximately 6.5 million Ukrainian refugees are living abroad
- Over 4.5 million are internally displaced
- Over 14.6 million people continue to need humanitarian assistance now and in the immediate future
At the very onset of the war, OpUSA began mobilizing our resources as we anticipated the vast and dire humanitarian needs very likely to arise – and, sadly, to persist. Corporate partners, foundations and individual donors all rose to the task and partnered with us aid the Ukranian civilians caught in the middle. We are not a conflict zone NGO. Operating in an active war zone required unique skills – and the entirety of Ukraine become one as Russia fired missiles far and wide at civilian targets. So we used our time-tested approach of finding local partners with the expertise and skillset to best serve those in need. By strategically making grants and distributing supplies, OpUSA addressed the humanitarian needs in areas throughout the Ukraine and ensured that aid was delivered efficiently and correctly.
Since the war began, OpUSA has:
- distributed over $1,000,000 in grants to groups supporting the needs of refugees, IDPs, women and children, the elderly, LGBTIQ+
- provided resources supporting programs that feed and heal, that house and rebuild, that document and support thousands
Left: Medical supplies for civilian health clinic. Right: New ovens for baking bread (both photos courtesy of Brook of Hope).
