LEICESTER, United Kingdom – Three years of relentless conflict with Russia has left Ukrainians displaced, traumatized, and facing an uncertain future, according to a leading Catholic international aid agency.
Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia has been making slow advances in Ukraine, but is suffering huge casualties, as are the Ukrainians.
CAFOD, the aid agency of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, says humanitarian needs are vast for 3.7 million internally displaced and 6.8 million having fled the country. It claims 1 in 3 people in Ukraine require urgent humanitarian assistance.
“The psychological damage of three years of war has been just as damaging as the physical destruction,” said Josie O’Reilly, CAFOD Ukraine Program Manager.
“Ukrainians have been through so much, lives have been completely disrupted, with families losing loved ones, fleeing their homes, and losing jobs, all while fearing for relatives in other parts of the country, yet their resilience and hope for a better future remains strong,” she said.
Three years of relentless conflict has left Ukrainians displaced, traumatized, and facing an uncertain future, CAFOD says, warning humanitarian needs remain critically high, with an increased need for mental health support alongside urgent needs such food, water, and shelter.
The election of President Donald Trump has highlighted the issue, since he has promised to bring an end to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Speaking on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump recently called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator.”
Zelensky’s five-year term of office was due to come to an end in May 2024, but the full-scale invasion by Russia in February 2022 led him to cancel elections due to the violence and disruption from the war.
“He refuses to have elections. He’s low in the real Ukrainian polls. How can you be high with every city being demolished?” Trump said.
Pope Francis had a statement about the Ukraine war read for him at his Angelus address, which called it “a painful and shameful occasion for the whole of humanity!”
“As I reiterate my closeness to the suffering Ukrainian people, I invite you to remember the victims of all armed conflicts, and to pray for the gift of peace in Palestine, Israel and throughout the Middle East, Myanmar, Kivu and Sudan,” the pope’s statement says.
CAFOD says an estimated 12.7 million people – 36 percent of the population – urgently need aid.
“Millions of people have been forced to flee, countless homes, schools, hospitals, and livelihoods have been destroyed, and the country’s infrastructure is devastated. Conditions are particularly dire along the eastern and southern frontlines where jobs are non-existent, and survival is a daily challenge,” the CAFOD statement says.
Catalin Albu, General Manager at CAFOD’s partner JRS described the change he has seen in the children.
“I have known some of these children for three years. They arrived deeply traumatized by war, separation, and life as refugees. These experiences have left deep scars. Through education and therapy, we have helped them heal and rediscover joy. Now, I see them laughing, playing, and hugging me,” Albu said.
O’Reilly said CAFOD’s sponsors are providing “immediate and long-term mental health support” to help Ukrainians recover and rebuild their lives.
“We continue assist with urgent needs such as food, water, medical supplies, fuel for heating and helping repair damaged houses,” she said.
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