Since 2014 the ongoing conflict has been affecting people’s lives and driving humanitarian needs in eastern Ukraine, particularly in the Donbas region. The recent war in Ukraine is posing additional risks on civilians, particularly women and children, as is predicted to become the largest humanitarian emergency in Europe since World War II. In the last few years, Ukraine has made modest gains on reducing gender inequalities, ranking 74th out of 156 countries according to the Gender Gap Index.1 However, these achievements were already under threat after eight years of conflict in the east of the country, and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current crisis will add to this complex situation and compromise any gains that have been made to achieve gender equality and empower women.