Three Years Into the War in Ukraine, One-Third of Population in Frontline Regions Struggle to Find Enough to Eat

Kyiv, Ukraine — As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, an estimated 5 million Ukrainians are facing food insecurity, with the greatest needs concentrated in areas near the frontlines. According to data collected by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), millions of people are resorting to coping mechanisms, sacrificing their own meals so their children can eat. Others are going into debt to buy sufficient food supplies to feed their families.

The U.N. World Food Programme continues to provide food and cash assistance to nearly 1.5 million Ukrainians each month, mostly in the frontline regions. Despite these efforts, more than half of the people in the Kherson region in the south face severe hunger, and 2 out of every 5 individuals face hunger in Zaporizhzhia as well as the Donetsk Regions in the east.

“Families in frontline regions are struggling to put food on the table, forcing them to make heartbreaking choices just to get by,” said Richard Ragan, U.N. World Food Programme country director in Ukraine. “As we look forward to sustainable peace in what is considered to be one of the world’s historical breadbasket regions, we must face the reality that humanitarian aid continues to be a lifeline for millions.”

According to U.N. World Food Programme monitoring, 72% of those who receive food assistance reported having to cut back on food, buy less nutritious food, skip meals or borrow money to feed their family. Across six frontline regions, almost one-third of all people are food insecure.

In areas close to the war, commercial supply chains are disrupted, infrastructure is often damaged or destroyed and the opportunities to earn money are scarce. Where supermarkets are accessible and stocked, many families cannot afford nutritious food. The cost of basic food items rose by 25% in the last year, with some staple vegetables more than doubling in price.

Since March 2022, the U.N. World Food Programme has provided assistance in Ukraine equivalent to 3.3 billion meals and distributed nearly 1 billion pounds of food. 

Meanwhile, the challenges of delivering lifesaving assistance near the frontlines have been growing. In the last six months, U.N. World Food Programme food distribution points and the vehicles or assets of its local humanitarian partners have been hit by drones, shelling or missiles more than 20 times, putting humanitarian operations at risk.