The war in Ukraine has not only destroyed infrastructure, but also millions of broken lives. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) have become one of the main victims of this war, losing their homes and livelihoods. The state was supposed to be their main protector, but the reality turned out to be different – support for IDPs turned into a formality, and state programmes to support IDPs remained just words on paper. What went wrong? Why do millions of Ukrainians feel forgotten in their country?
Why are there fewer IDPs?
Since the outbreak of the war, millions of people have been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in other parts of the country. These people, who became internally displaced, left behind their homes, jobs and everything that built their lives. They hoped for help from the state – for protection, support, and the opportunity to rebuild their lives. However, in practice, the situation turned out to be quite different: the state failed to provide the appropriate level of assistance to IDPs, leaving them to face the catastrophic consequences alone.
‘As of now, the situation is deteriorating – we have a decreasing number of IDPs, as they return to the TOT of Ukraine and frontline cities due to socio-economic difficulties in the new place! This is a matter of serious concern,’ said Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
This situation brings the country closer to a large-scale social collapse, as many programmes for IDPs remain underfunded and ineffective.
According to the Ministry of Social Policy, as of 27 October 2024, there are 4.6 million IDPs in Ukraine, which is 300,000 fewer than at the beginning of the year. Among them:
- women – 59.9% of people
- men – 40.1% of people
- youth – 80.3% of people;
- children under the age of 18 – 19.7%.
The largest number of IDPs is concentrated in Donetsk and Kharkiv regions. 4,734,000 people havereturned to their homes, not because their houses are habitable, but because of financial and economic difficulties.
“The number of IDPs is decreasing not because they find a new home in the government-controlled territory. They simply return to the occupation. They make their difficult choice, facing a dilemma: to live under occupation or in poverty without state support – they return to the TOT ,’ said Olena Shulyak, head of the Servant of the People party, in her post.
At the beginning of the conflict, assistance to IDPs was based on temporary measures, which was understandable, as the situation was unpredictable. However, when it became clear that the war would drag on, no long-term strategy was developed to support IDPs. Government policy remained chaotic, short-term and dependent on changing political decisions. Many assistance programmes for IDPs are limited by lack of funds. The allocation of funding is often delayed or simply insufficient. This results in the inability to provide decent housing, medical care and even basic support.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the government has announced the Fast Recovery Plan programme, according to which 53,000 apartments were to be built for IDPs. After a while, the number of apartments dropped to 32,000 – 2,000 in 16 regions. These were supposed to be low-cost apartments in five-storey buildings. However, 2 years have passed since the programme was announced, and the construction timeframe has not yet been specified.
According to a survey conducted by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), 60% of IDPs spend half of their income on rent. On average, this is UAH 8,500 with utilities. Obviously, people simply do not have enough money to meet their minimum living needs.
A survey conducted as part of the social project ‘Helping Families with Children Affected by the War Prepare for the Cold’ found that the vast majority of IDP families with children are in a difficult financial situation, living in housing for which they have to spend significant amounts of money on rent, which in turn affects their ability to provide conditions to meet the family’s needs. According to the survey, 82 per cent of IDP families are unable to meet their educational needs on their own.
As of 1 March 2024, the promised payments have already stopped for most IDPs. And in 2025, the government has no plans to increase assistance to IDPs at all.
Many IDPs complain about the difficulty of receiving assistance due to the complicated bureaucratic system. The government has announced many initiatives and projects. But all of them require serious funding and still remain only initiatives on paper. At the same time, people need a roof over their heads immediately. The declared amounts of assistance often do not meet the real needs. The amount of housing allocated for IDPs is insufficient, and the process of obtaining it is delayed for months or even years. Many people face difficulties with paperwork and imperfect operation of electronic services, and in some cases, the distribution of housing is even accompanied by corruption schemes. And as it turns out in practice, housing goes not to those who really need it, but to those who have the ability to ‘solve the issue for a fee’.
While in some regions the authorities are proactive and actively cooperate with volunteers and international organisations, in small towns and rural areas, there is complete inaction on the part of the authorities. As a result, the amount of housing offered does not cover the need for it, and living conditions are far from acceptable.
Legislation on IDPs is frequently changed or does not take into account the real needs of these people. Some regulations are outdated or contain gaps that do not allow for a prompt response to new challenges related to the scale of population displacement. Obviously, such a failure of state support leads the country to serious consequences. IDPs often find themselves on the verge of survival, which provokes social conflicts, in particular between IDPs and the local population in host communities. This creates a dangerous atmosphere of mistrust and hostility that undermines the social cohesion of the country.
Without a stable source of income and access to normal living conditions, many IDPs live in poverty. This has a negative impact on the economy, as the number of people in need of social assistance increases, instead of actively participating in the country’s reconstruction. IDPs, including professionals from various fields, are unable to fully realise their potential due to a lack of support and opportunities. The loss of skilled personnel is a direct threat to the country’s economic development in times of war.
Insufficient attention to the problems of IDPs may become the basis for political manipulation by both internal and external actors. Russia is already actively using the situation for information attacks to discredit the Ukrainian government and society.
Massive public outrage
“If we do not change the approach to the IDP issue, we will get a part of society that will be filled with hatred for everyone, people who have become unnecessary in their own country. The consequences of such an attitude will be felt even through generations and will be inherited as an example of how the state can ‘take care’ of its people,’ warns Olena Shulyak.
But it is strange that statesmen have come to their senses only now, when the situation has escalated. Have they not seen what their citizens have come to when they are on the brink of survival without the promised support?
The failure of state support for internally displaced persons caused a real wave of outrage among Ukrainians. Social media exploded with criticism when it became apparent that many IDPs could not even receive basic assistance from the state. Society accuses the government of inaction and indifference to the millions of people who have lost their homes because of the war. For a long time, officials have been assuring that ‘the system is working’, while people remain without housing, adequate financial support and access to medical services.
Society reacted to this situation with anger, seeing it not just as a managerial mistake, but as a moral failure of the state, which was supposed to be a support for its citizens. In particular, statements by officials who admit that IDP programmes are underfunded and ineffective only add fuel to the fire. Indignation is growing, and more and more people are asking why those who have already lost everything remain forgotten and abandoned in their home country.
Lilia Reva, Facebook user:
“What should a homeless person do in their own country, how do you help them, because you only need labour for a penny, and even then there is no work. Thank you for kicking me out of my country, but I look at everything with open eyes, I still need to rent a house, no matter what country I live in. At least there is work there.”
Valentina Nazarova, Facebook user:
“Tell us how the issue of IDPs who have housing in the occupied cities, but all live in Ukraine is progressing? How to live in a country where no one needs us, IDPs? Tell us how you cram an entire family into one room, although this does not meet the standards. But your deputies, assistants and other people close to the authorities, as well as the authorities themselves, live in super comfortable housing, and the government pays for this housing. Isn’t this a mockery of Ukrainians?”
Mykhailo Sydorenko, Facebook user:
“Such statements should be made public at meetings of the Verkhovna Rada, not on Facebook. It is advisable to add an analytical report on how Western funds have been used for the humanitarian needs of the population, in particular, to provide IDPs with housing. And what solutions you propose to overcome the housing problem.”
Iryna Nechyporenko, a resident of Luhansk Oblast, Facebook user:
“Not only are we scattered all over the world, we have lost everything due to the occupation of our city of Lysychansk, but we still do not have the opportunity to even theoretically compensate for the property we have lost. And the thing is that the state register of immovable property has no record of our ownership. State registrars refuse to register our property because we do not have a certificate from the BTI confirming that we own it. And we cannot get such a certificate because of the ineptitude of our city’s leadership, which did not bother to move the BTI along with the archives. This organisation remained on the occupied territory. So, due to the negligence of certain individuals, a large number of IDPs have no hope of any compensation for what they have lost, because we are legally homeless and have never had anything.”
How to overcome the crisis
To solve the problem, it is necessary to introduce a comprehensive approach at the national level. The state should create a clear action plan that would provide not only immediate humanitarian assistance but also integration of IDPs into society. This should include creating new jobs, providing affordable housing and developing infrastructure in the communities where IDPs have settled. Expenditure control should be strengthened to ensure that funds actually reach those in need. The use of modern digital technologies can help fight corruption and speed up the delivery of aid.
Ukraine needs to engage international organisations and donors more actively in addressing IDP issues. However, it is important that this assistance is transparent and targeted to specific needs. Integration programmes should help IDPs become part of local society rather than remain isolated. This will help avoid conflict and strengthen social cohesion.
Internally displaced persons are not just people who have lost their homes. They are part of the Ukrainian people, and their fate should be a priority for the state. The failure of state support for internally displaced persons has become a shameful stain on Ukraine’s political landscape. Millions of people who have lost everything because of the war have been abandoned by their own state, which promised them protection and recovery. Social inequality, bureaucracy, corruption and the lack of long-term solutions have hit not only the IDPs, but also the very foundation of Ukrainian society. If the government does not change its approach, the consequences will be catastrophic: rising social tensions, further decline in trust in the government and undermining of national unity.
It is important to understand that IDPs are not a burden, but people who can become the basis for rebuilding Ukraine. Failure to support IDPs is not only a humanitarian disaster, but also a serious threat to Ukraine’s future. To overcome this crisis, it is necessary to act decisively and systematically, ensuring a decent life for those who have already paid a high price for the war. It’s time for the authorities to admit their mistakes and finally start acting instead of feeding the population with promises until it’s too late.
