On 24 February 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine, with forces crossing into the country from Belarus in the north, Russia in the east and Crimea in the south. After failing to take the capital, Kyiv, in 2022, fighting is now focused in south and eastern Ukraine.
Russia’s military actions forced many Ukrainians to leave the county and have resulted in significant damage to Ukrainian infrastructure and public services, creating a substantial level of humanitarian need and reconstruction costs.
The current conflict has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis that has been ongoing in eastern Ukraine since 2014. In that year, Russia annexed Crimea. Two regions in the Donbas, controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces, also declared independence.
The briefing describes the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, the number of displaced people, and what aid the UK and others have pledged from 2022.
The Commons Library’s Conflict in Ukraine hub page provides more analysis on the conflict, including sanctions and meeting the costs of reconstruction.
Humanitarian needs
The situation in eastern Ukraine since 2014 caused the country’s humanitarian needs to grow. To January 2021, over 3,000 civilians were killed (PDF) and the UN estimated around 2.9 million people were in need of humanitarian aid (such as support to access shelter or health services) (at February 2022).
Between February 2022 and November 2024, more than 12,340 civilians have been killed (note this is a likely underestimate, according to UN monitors) and the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance stands at 14.6 million (Ukraine has an estimated population of 34 million).
In February 2024, the Government of Ukraine, the European Union and UN estimated the cost of Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery stood at US$486 billion. The World Bank also estimates Ukraine’s gross domestic product fell 29% in 2022 and poverty also increased from 6% to 25% of the population.
Many people have been displaced
Around 6 million refugees from Ukraine are recorded across Europe, and an additional 3.7 million are displaced within the country. Russia currently hosts the highest number of Ukrainian refugees (1.2 million), followed by Germany (1.2 million) and Poland (981,000). Around 252,000 refugees are in the UK.
UK aid to Ukraine
From 2010 to 2021, the UK provided a total of £204 million in bilateral aid (aid given for a specific programme or purpose) to Ukraine to improve Ukrainian governance and address humanitarian needs. In 2022, the UK provided £342 million in bilateral aid; this fell to £250 million in 2023. Data reported to the Development Assistance Committee, which includes the world’s major aid donors (except China) shows the UK was the seventh-largest donor of aid to Ukraine in 2022.
Specific UK aid pledges include:
- £457 million in humanitarian aid (from February 2022)
- A three-year £100 million package of aid, primarily to Ukraine’s energy sector, which has experienced significant damage.
- US$100 million (£74 million) for the Ukrainian Government’s budget to support public sector salaries, social protection, and core services. This forms part of a World Bank scheme (see below).
In September 2024 Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed the plans of the Conservative Government to provide £242 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine in 2024/25. This will provide emergency assistance, support the Ukrainian energy sector, and fund investigations into potential war crimes.
From December 2021 to February 2024, the UK has announced £6.5 billion of fiscal support to Ukraine via World Bank loan bank guarantees and grants.
G7, World Bank and IMF support
G7 members are the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Canada, the United States, and Japan, as well as the European Union. At the G7 summit in May 2023, the group said it would increase its commitment of budget and economic support for Ukraine for 2023 and early 2024 to US$44 billion. At the June 2024 G7 meeting, G7 leaders said that they would launch ‘extraordinary revenue acceleration loans’ for Ukraine, to make available US$50 billion in additional funding by the end of 2024.
Together with donors, the World Bank has mobilised US$47 billion in finance for Ukraine from February 2022 to September 2024 (around £37 billion).
In March 2023, the IMF also announced a US$15.6 billion programme (£12.8 billion) for 2022 to 2027 as part of its wider package of support for Ukraine.
Update log
December 2024: Added new statistics on FCDO spending and international comparisons