In a statement issued by Caritas Internationalis—the Church’s confederation of relief and development agencies—the head of Caritas Ukraine warned that the war “will inevitably lead to a colossal humanitarian catastrophe.”

“Before the attack, there were already 2.9 million local people on both sides of the contact line [in the War in Donbas] who were in need of humanitarian assistance,” Tetiana Stawnychy said in an appeal for financial assistance. “Today, that number is increasing exponentially.”