Report Contents
INTRODUCTION
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II and has had deep and wide-ranging consequences. The intense military escalation has resulted in loss of life, injuries, and mass movement of civilian populations. People have fled their homes in search of safety, and many have been displaced multiple times by the ongoing fighting. As a result, 17.7 million people were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance as of December 2022. 1 As of March 2023, more than 5.3 million people have been internally displaced within Ukraine. 2 In addition, more than 8.1 million have fled the war and Ukraine as refugees.3
The scale and scope of the U.S. government’s response has been sizable. In four supplemental appropriations in March, May, September, and December 2022, Congress provided more than $113 billion in funding for Ukraine response efforts across 14 federal departments and agencies.4 Of this funding, the Department of State (Department) received $3.3 billion for its humanitarian assistance response.5
As part of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) report Audit of the Department of State's Humanitarian Response to the Ukraine Crisis (AUD-GEER-24-16), this information brief provides details regarding the Department’s humanitarian assistance response to Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
1 UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Ukraine Situation Report, December 19, 2022, page 1.
2 IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix, “Ukraine,” https://dtm.iom.int/ukraine.
3 UNHCR Operational Data Portal, "Ukraine Refugee Situation,” https://data.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine.
4 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, Public Law 117-103, Division N – Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022, March 15, 2022; Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022, Public Law 117-128, May 21, 2022; Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023, Public Law 117-180, Division B – Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023, September 30, 2022; and Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, Public Law 117-328, Division M – Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023, December 29, 2022.
5 The U.S. government supports global efforts to assist people affected by conflict and natural disasters through appropriations to humanitarian accounts. The Department manages the Migration and Refugee Assistance account.