{"id":30900,"date":"2026-08-11T16:44:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T13:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ldn.org.ua\/?post_type=event&p=30900"},"modified":"2026-08-11T16:44:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T13:44:28","slug":"from-firewood-to-generators-how-the-needs-of-de-occupied-communities-in-kherson-oblast-have-changed-over-three-years","status":"publish","type":"event","link":"https:\/\/ldn.org.ua\/en\/event\/from-firewood-to-generators-how-the-needs-of-de-occupied-communities-in-kherson-oblast-have-changed-over-three-years\/","title":{"rendered":"From Firewood to Generators: How the Needs of De-occupied Communities in Kherson Oblast Have Changed Over Three Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kherson Oblast has the highest number of recorded needs in the LINK platform database: over six thousand entries were recorded across fourteen de-occupied communities between 2023 and 2026. The LINK mechanism, implemented by the Legal Development Network with People in Need and UK Government support, tracks how the character of needs evolved over three and a half years.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This material analyzes the evolution of Kherson Oblast’s needs structure: from emergency survival in early months to long-term resilience against security risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Picture of Needs Over Three Years<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, immediately following the de-occupation of the right-bank part of the region, only 205 needs were recorded in the LINK database\u2014the lowest indicator for the entire observation period, reflecting an early, not yet fully deployed stage of the mechanism’s operation. The structure of that year was typically crisis-driven: fuel and heating needs (80 entries) were practically equal to housing and non-food item needs (76 entries), while medical needs (10 entries) and water, sanitation, and hygiene needs (31 entries) were only beginning to be logged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, the number of records increased more than tenfold to 2,442. This was the year of the most active deployment of LINK in the de-occupied communities of the Kherson region, and it was then that the structure of needs fundamentally changed: housing and non-food items took first place with 1,083 entries, medical needs rose to 478, and water and sanitation to 529.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, the total number of needs decreased slightly (2,128 records), but healthcare took first place permanently for the first time\u2014943 entries, surpassing both water and sanitation (460) and housing with non-food items (495). Data for the incomplete year 2026 (1,512 records as of mid-July) confirm the consolidation of this structure: medical needs (520 entries) remain the most numerous, while needs for fuel and heating supplies show a noticeable drop\u2014from 209 entries in 2024 to 67 in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

*Data for 2026 are incomplete (as of mid-July).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, for the Kherson Oblast as well, the trajectory of needs is not a straight line “from humanitarian aid to reconstruction,” but a gradual complication of the structure, where a powerful and growing layer of needs related to healthcare, energy autonomy, and the long-term operation of communities has been added to basic needs (water, hygiene, housing).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Needs That Did Not Exist in 2023<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

In the Kherson Oblast, unlike the Mykolaiv region, the new type of needs is not so much a single prominent category as it is a sequential replacement of certain types of autonomous power supply with others. In 2023\u20132024, communities actively requested gasoline (2 and 26 entries, respectively) and diesel (2 and 21 entries)\u2014primarily for generators and equipment under conditions of a complete lack of power supply. By 2025\u20132026, requests for gasoline and diesel had practically vanished (2 and 0 entries, respectively), whereas requests specifically for generators, on the contrary, increased\u2014from 4 in 2023 to 22 in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In parallel, the number of requests for charging stations has been growing: while there were no such entries in 2023, there were 5 in 2024, 11 in 2025, and already 16 in 2026 (for the partial year). That is, the communities of the Kherson region are gradually transitioning from requesting fuel for generators to requesting the generators themselves and stationary solutions for storing and distributing electricity\u2014rechargeable batteries and charging stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Replacement of generator fuel with stationary autonomous power solutions, Kherson region (number of entries per year)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sub-cluster<\/strong><\/th>2023<\/strong><\/th>2024<\/strong><\/th>2025<\/strong><\/th>2026*<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Gasoline<\/td>2<\/td>26<\/td>2<\/td>0<\/td><\/tr>
Diesel<\/td>2<\/td>21<\/td>2<\/td>0<\/td><\/tr>
Generator<\/td>4<\/td>17<\/td>13<\/td>22<\/td><\/tr>
Charging station<\/td>0<\/td>5<\/td>11<\/td>16<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

*Data for 2026 are incomplete.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another group of needs that grew specifically in 2024\u20132025 and was almost non-existent in 2023 is playground equipment (19 entries within the early recovery cluster), sports equipment (9 entries), and garden tools (58 entries)\u2014categories that appear only when a community transitions from emergency response to restoring everyday life and public spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How security risks affect the structure of needs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cluster explicitly labeled as “Security” in the LINK database is growing in Kherson Oblast\u2014from 0 entries in 2023 to 10 in 2024, 5 in 2025, and 18 in incomplete 2026. This is already more noticeable than in Mykolaiv Oblast and reflects the specifics of Kherson Oblast’s frontline communities located closer to the line of contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, as in the neighboring oblast, the main impact of the security situation on the structure of needs manifests not through this narrow cluster, but through adjacent areas. The most telling example is the massive growth of the medical cluster: from 10 entries in 2023 to 943 in 2025. Part of this increase is tied to restoring access to routine medical care, but a significant portion stems from the need for equipment for healthcare facilities that continue operating under constant shelling, as well as from the consequences of injuries and the need for rehabilitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second signal is the steady growth in requests for generators, charging stations, and battery systems, despite the periodic restoration of centralized power supply. In communities subjected to regular shelling of infrastructure (for instance, in coastal and frontline communities), such equipment serves not as a luxury, but as the minimum necessary backup in case of repeated strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A comparison between 2023 and 2026 confirms the general conclusion: while at the start of de-occupation the emphasis was on supplying the population with essential goods, by 2026 a significant share of Kherson Oblast’s new needs pertains to sustaining the continuous operation of medical facilities, utility services, and local self-government bodies under constant security threats. This does not imply a complete displacement of “developmental” needs by “crisis” ones\u2014rather, crisis needs have become more specialized and adapted to the protracted nature of hostilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Recurring Needs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the sample across the entire LINK coverage area, over a hundred cases were recorded where a need that had already lost its relevance in a given community re-emerged after some time\u2014most often involving hygiene kits, diapers, medications, certain construction materials, and fuel. Re-emergence usually occurs about a year and a half after the previous entry, while the volume of the need may remain roughly the same, grow slightly, or decrease depending on the current number of recipients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Kherson Oblast, where population rotation in de-occupied communities (the return of some residents, the departure of others) occurs more intensely than in communities in Mykolaiv Oblast further from the frontline, accounting for this cyclical nature of needs is especially critical during aid planning: a decline in requests for fuel or hygiene products in 2025\u20132026 should not be automatically interpreted as the final resolution of these needs\u2014rather, it represents temporary saturation that may shift into a new peak upon the arrival of new recipients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Needs That Remain Relevant for Years<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the LINK database for Kherson Oblast, as in Mykolaiv Oblast, a significant number of records created back in 2023\u20132024 still hold the status “Relevant.” Most often, these involve construction materials for repairing damaged housing, equipment for water supply systems (which is especially critical for the oblast, where water pipeline infrastructure suffered large-scale destruction), equipment for medical institutions, generators and other energy equipment, as well as specialized machinery for utility enterprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such needs, typically associated with high costs or logistic complexity, can remain open for years despite regular confirmation of their relevance by communities. For Kherson Oblast, this applies particularly to water supply systems: the water infrastructure destroyed as a result of hostilities is one of the most complex and expensive categories of needs in the oblast, which is unlikely to be covered by targeted humanitarian aid alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Early Recovery: Growth or Decline?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dynamics of needs within the “Early Recovery” cluster (classified as Early Recovery according to OCHA) in Kherson Oblast demonstrate a different profile than in Mykolaiv Oblast\u2014representing one of the most prominent regional contrasts across the entire LINK database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Share of early recovery needs in the overall structure of needs in Kherson Oblast:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Share of Early Recovery needs in the overall structure of needs, Kherson Oblast<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0420\u0456\u043a<\/strong><\/th>\u041f\u043e\u0442\u0440\u0435\u0431\u0438 \u0440\u0430\u043d\u043d\u044c\u043e\u0433\u043e \u0432\u0456\u0434\u043d\u043e\u0432\u043b\u0435\u043d\u043d\u044f<\/strong><\/th>\u0427\u0430\u0441\u0442\u043a\u0430 \u0432\u0456\u0434 \u0443\u0441\u0456\u0445 \u043f\u043e\u0442\u0440\u0435\u0431 \u043e\u0431\u043b\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0456<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
2023<\/td>1<\/td>0,49%<\/td><\/tr>
2024<\/td>192<\/td>7,86%<\/td><\/tr>
2025<\/td>76<\/td>3,57%<\/td><\/tr>
2026*<\/td>0<\/td>0%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

*Data for 2026 are incomplete. 2024 represents the highest indicator in the entire LINK database for any year in any oblast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike Mykolaiv Oblast, where the share of early recovery gradually increased over three years, Kherson Oblast exhibits a significantly sharper and, crucially, declining trend after 2024. The 2024 peak was driven primarily by needs within the “Shelter and Non-Food Items” cluster classified as Early Recovery\u2014notably cash assistance for recovery needs (36 entries over the entire period) and garden tools (58 entries, nearly all in 2024\u20132025). By 2025, this wave began to subside, and early 2026 data show no new needs recorded for this cluster so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This does not necessarily mean that the communities’ need for early recovery has disappeared: it is more likely that a significant share of the simplest and least expensive needs in this category (garden tools, minor landscaping equipment) was already met during 2024\u20132025. Meanwhile, more complex and costly recovery needs (capital repair of infrastructure, restoration of utility enterprise capacity) are captured in the LINK database mostly under other clusters\u2014primarily “Shelter and Non-Food Items” and “Heating, Gas, and Electricity Supply,” where numbers for generators and charging stations, conversely, continue to rise even in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, from 2023 to 2026, 269 early recovery needs were recorded in Kherson Oblast\u2014nearly triple the figure for Mykolaiv Oblast (100). The proportion of still-relevant needs practically mirrors that of Mykolaiv Oblast, indicating that despite differing dynamics in the emergence of new needs, the speed of resolving them remains comparable and slow across both oblasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Status of early recovery needs as of mid-July 2026, Kherson Oblast<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0421\u0442\u0430\u0442\u0443\u0441 \u043f\u043e\u0442\u0440\u0435\u0431\u0438<\/strong><\/th>\u041a\u0456\u043b\u044c\u043a\u0456\u0441\u0442\u044c \u0437\u0430\u043f\u0438\u0441\u0456\u0432<\/strong><\/th>\u0427\u0430\u0441\u0442\u043a\u0430<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
\u0410\u043a\u0442\u0443\u0430\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0430<\/td>202<\/td>75%<\/td><\/tr>
\u0412\u0442\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0438\u043b\u0430 \u0430\u043a\u0442\u0443\u0430\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0456\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/td>47<\/td>17%<\/td><\/tr>
\u0417\u0430\u043a\u0440\u0438\u0442\u0430<\/td>19<\/td>7%<\/td><\/tr>
\u0423\u0441\u044c\u043e\u0433\u043e<\/td>269<\/td>100%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Note on Clusters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the LINK database, needs are classified according to the Legal Development Network’s own cluster system, which does not always correspond directly to the OCHA humanitarian cluster classification. This is important to consider when comparing figures from this material with other sources of humanitarian statistics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly direct matches:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • LINK “Healthcare” cluster<\/strong> matches the OCHA Health cluster (over 78% of entries in this cluster in the database are tagged specifically as Health).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • LINK “Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene” cluster<\/strong> matches the OCHA WASH cluster (over 92% of entries).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Notable differences:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • LINK “Shelter and Non-Food Items” cluster<\/strong> is the broadest and most heterogeneous cluster in the database: under the OCHA framework, it breaks down into at least five areas\u2014Shelter, Education, Early Recovery, Health, and Protection. In the LINK system, school supplies, generators for institutions, protective gear, and household non-food items are grouped into a single cluster, whereas OCHA treats them as distinct humanitarian sectors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • LINK “Heating, Gas, and Electricity Supply” cluster<\/strong> has no direct equivalent among OCHA clusters: depending on context, entries in this cluster are categorized as Shelter, Early Recovery, Education, or Health.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • LINK “Nutrition” cluster<\/strong> is divided into two separate OCHA clusters\u2014Nutrition (infant and medical nutrition) and Food Security (household food kits).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • LINK “Animal Care and Livestock” cluster<\/strong> has no separate equivalent in the OCHA classification and is mostly attributed to Food Security.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • LINK “Security” cluster<\/strong> is narrower than OCHA Protection, which encompasses a much broader range of needs (including psychosocial support and legal aid); therefore, directly equating these two clusters would be incorrect.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      It should also be noted that OCHA classification tags have been consistently applied in the LINK database primarily since 2024\u20132025. A significant portion of 2023 entries lacks such tagging, making comparisons by OCHA clusters for the earliest de-occupation period less reliable than comparisons by LINK’s internal clusters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Correspondence of LINK Clusters to OCHA Clusters (across the entire database, both oblasts)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      LINK Cluster<\/strong><\/th>Main OCHA Equivalent(s)<\/strong><\/th>Comments<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
      Healthcare<\/td>Health (~78% of records)<\/td>Nearly direct match<\/td><\/tr>
      Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene<\/td>WASH (~92% of records)<\/td>Nearly direct match<\/td><\/tr>
      Housing and Non-Food Items<\/td>Shelter, Education, Early Recovery, Health, Protection<\/td>Splits into at least 5 OCHA areas<\/td><\/tr>
      Heating, Gas, and Electricity Supply<\/td>Shelter, Education, Early Recovery, Health, Protection<\/td>No standalone cluster in OCHA<\/td><\/tr>
      Food & Nutrition<\/td>Nutrition + Food Security<\/td>Two separate clusters in OCHA<\/td><\/tr>
      Animal Care and Livestock<\/td>Food Security<\/td>No direct equivalent in OCHA<\/td><\/tr>
      Security \/ Safety<\/td>Narrower than Protection<\/td>Direct equivalence is incorrect<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      Data cover the period from 2023 to mid-July 2026; indicators for 2026 are incomplete.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      List of communities in Kherson Oblast where the LINK mechanism operates:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Kherson community<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Bilozerka<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Novooleksandrivka community<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Mylove community<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Novoraisk community<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Novovorontsovka community<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Velyka Oleksandrivka community<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Chornobaivka community<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Vysokopillia community<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Borozenke community<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Darivka community<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Kalynivske community<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Muzykivka community<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Kochubeivka community<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        This material was prepared by the Legal Development Network in partnership with the Czech humanitarian organization “People in Need” and with financial support from the UK government.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        The conclusions, interpretations of collected information, and other views expressed in this material are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the project’s donors and partners.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Kherson Oblast has the highest number of recorded needs in the LINK platform database: over six thousand entries were recorded across fourteen de-occupied communities between 2023 and 2026. The LINK mechanism, implemented by the Legal Development Network with People in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":30850,"template":"","project":[],"section":[],"event-type":[],"region":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ldn.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event\/30900"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ldn.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ldn.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/event"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldn.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ldn.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event\/30900\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30913,"href":"https:\/\/ldn.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event\/30900\/revisions\/30913"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldn.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ldn.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"project","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldn.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project?post=30900"},{"taxonomy":"section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldn.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section?post=30900"},{"taxonomy":"event-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldn.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/event-type?post=30900"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldn.org.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=30900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}