Humanitarian activities in Ukraine in the summer of 2025 took place amid intensified hostilities, which posed significant risks to civilians and humanitarian workers. Frontline communities remained the most affected, where access to aid was hampered by shelling, mines and movement restrictions.
ukr-access-snapshot-july-august_v2Overall situation and scale of incidents
In July and August, 45 incidents affecting access to humanitarian aid were recorded, 31 of which were directly related to active hostilities. Almost all cases occurred in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia regions, which remain the most dangerous for civilians and humanitarian workers.
One person was killed in the attacks while off duty, and eight other humanitarian workers were injured. At the same time, 23 cases of violence against personnel, equipment and facilities were recorded, 14 of which occurred within 20 km of the front line. The Kherson region has once again become the most dangerous for humanitarian work.
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Kherson region as the epicentre of risks
The Kherson region has the highest number of casualties among employees of organisations. Since the beginning of the year, three people have been killed and 21 wounded here. In 20 of the 35 recorded attacks, drones were used, which is the highest rate in the country. Most often, these were FPV drones that targeted vehicles delivering aid to frontline settlements.
In July and August, strikes on Kherson and shelling of the M14 highway between Mykolaiv and Kherson led to temporary restrictions on the movement of civilian and humanitarian convoys. Some organisations were forced to temporarily suspend their activities in the city.
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Impact of hostilities on other regions
In Donetsk region, fighting in the Pokrovsk area has significantly hampered the work of humanitarian organisations in Dobropillia, which previously served as a logistics base. In Dnipropetrovsk region, the dynamics of the front line have made it more difficult to reach eastern communities in the Synelnykivskyi district.
In the Sumy region, delays at checkpoints led to the postponement or even cancellation of some missions. Four cases of inspections resulted in the postponement of planned activities. UN representatives continued their dialogue with local authorities to facilitate procedures.
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Additional challenges for humanitarian action
Another problem was the mobilisation of humanitarian organisation staff. The number of recorded cases rose from five in the previous reporting period to twelve in July-August. This affected the ability of organisations to maintain adequate workloads and deliver programmes on time.
Despite the risks, humanitarian organisations continued to provide assistance, but the need for safe access to frontline areas remains one of the key conditions for an effective response.
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