Millions of Lives at Risk from 'Brutal' Funding Cuts, UN Refugee Chief Says

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi speaks during press a conference in Beirut, Lebanon , October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki/File Photo
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi speaks during press a conference in Beirut, Lebanon , October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki/File Photo
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Millions of Lives at Risk from 'Brutal' Funding Cuts, UN Refugee Chief Says

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi speaks during press a conference in Beirut, Lebanon , October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki/File Photo
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi speaks during press a conference in Beirut, Lebanon , October 6, 2024. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki/File Photo

Millions of lives are at risk from "brutal funding cuts" from donors, the UN refugee chief said on Thursday, warning that already displaced women are at greater risk of rape and that children were being pushed into trafficking or early marriage.

"Brutal funding cuts in the humanitarian sector are putting millions of lives at risk," said Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in a statement which did not mention its top donor the United States by name.

"The consequences for people fleeing danger will be immediate and devastating," he noted.

US President Donald Trump's administration has announced major funding cuts that have sparked mayhem around the world and whose impacts on millions of vulnerable people are now emerging.



2 People Killed, Dozens Wounded in Russian Attack on Kharkiv

Firefighters manning a hose to put out a fire following a drone attack in Kharkiv on March 29, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by SERGEY BOBOK / AFP)
Firefighters manning a hose to put out a fire following a drone attack in Kharkiv on March 29, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by SERGEY BOBOK / AFP)
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2 People Killed, Dozens Wounded in Russian Attack on Kharkiv

Firefighters manning a hose to put out a fire following a drone attack in Kharkiv on March 29, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by SERGEY BOBOK / AFP)
Firefighters manning a hose to put out a fire following a drone attack in Kharkiv on March 29, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by SERGEY BOBOK / AFP)

Russian drones hit a military hospital, shopping center, apartment blocks and other buildings in Kharkiv late Saturday, killing two people and wounding 30 others, Ukrainian officials said.
According to The Associated Press, Regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said that a 67-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman were killed in the attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city.
Ukraine’s General Staff denounced the “deliberate, targeted shelling” of the military hospital. Among the casualties were “servicemen who were undergoing treatment,” it said.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia fired 111 exploding drones and decoys in the latest wave of attacks overnight into Sunday. It said 65 of them were intercepted and another 35 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense, meanwhile, said its air defense systems shot down six Ukrainian drones.
According to Ukrainian government and military analysts, Russian forces are preparing to launch a fresh military offensive in the coming weeks to maximize pressure on Ukraine and strengthen the Kremlin’s negotiating position in ceasefire talks.