Area-based Assessment: Toretsk Basic Service Unit Overview - July 2017 Conflict between Ukrainian forces and armed opposition groups broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014. Almost 10,000 people have been killed, 22,231 wounded, and about one million displaced from their homes by fighting. The humanitarian and recovery response to the crisis is hampered by information gaps regarding access to basic services in communities located close to the contact line. REACH conducted an assessment of all settlements within 5 km of the contact line with two main objectives: 1) To understand how residents of communities in the area access basic services; 2) To identify gaps in service provision and understand challenges from the perspectives of both service providers and users. The results will be used to inform trategic planning by humanitarian and local government actors. This overview covers the Toretsk BSU, where 14 communities were assessed.

1. Conflict between Ukrainian forces and armed
opposition groups broke out in eastern
Ukraine in 2014. Almost 10,000 people have
been killed, 22,231 wounded, and about one
million displaced from their homes by fighting1
.
The humanitarian and recovery response
to the crisis is hampered by information
gaps regarding access to basic services in
communities located close to the contact line.
REACH conducted an assessment of all
settlements within 5 km of the contact line with
two main objectives: 1. To understand how
residents of communities in the area access
basic services; 2. To identify gaps in service
provision and understand challenges from
the perspectives of both service providers
and users. The results will be used to inform
strategic planning by humanitarian and local
government actors.
This assessment collected data at the
community level from 100 communities.
Interviews were conducted with 350 Key
Informants (KIs) representing community
members, members of the local administration,
and representatives of health and education
facilities. The assessment did not conduct
representative sampling, and therefore results
should be considered indicative only. Through
network analysis, the assessed communities
were clustered into seven Basic Service Units
(BSUs) to determine the main constraints in
service access and provision in each BSU.
Area-based Assessment: Toretsk Basic Service Unit Overview
Ukraine, July 2017
Map 1: Locations of assessed settlements in the Toretsk BSU
1. OHCHR, ‘Report on the human rights situation in Ukraine’, December 2016.
This overview covers the Toretsk BSU, where
14 communities were assessed (Figure 1) .
• Access to services is best in the larger
communities of Toretsk, Zalizne, Pivnichne
and Novhorodske. These communities have
primary healthcare clinics, education facilities,
shops, markets and Financial Service Points
(FSPs). They offer waste disposal services
and running water. However, shelling and
landmines presented risks when accessing
services in these communities, and the cost
of healthcare and education services was also
an issue for residents.
• Six of the smaller communities have no
health or education facilities and therefore
access to these services is challenging due
to distance, expensive transport and security
risks while travelling to services. Three of
these communities also have no water supply
and are not connected to sewage networks.
• Waste management is a key issue across the
BSU, as poor waste management practices
such as burning, burying and illegal dumping
are common in all but two of the assessed
communities. The lack of waste removal
and septic tank pumping services creates
problems for residents of the BSU, who also
struggle to meet the cost of these services in
communities where they are available.
Figure 1: Communities assessed within the
Toretsk BSU
Settlement Pop. Settlement Pop.
Toretsk 34,220 Zaitseve 927
Novhorodske 12,008 Novobakhmutivka 751
Pivnichne 10,353 Nelipivka 600
Zalizne 5,400 Novoselivka 600
Verkhnotoretske 2,500 Ozarianivka 500
Druzhba 1,580 Troitske 150
Pivdenne 1,500 Yurivka 96
Figure 2: Profiles of KIs interviewed
KI Profile Female Male Total
Community 30 30 60
Administration 3 4 7
Education facility 14 2 16
Health facility 32 1 33
0 4 8 12 16 Kms
²
Donetska
oblast
Luhanska
oblast
RUSSIAN
FEDERATION
UKRAINE
KRAMATORSK
DRUZHKIVKA
KOSTIANTYNIVKA
OZARIANIVKA
ZAITSEVE
VERKHNOTORETSKE
NOVOBAKHMUTIVKA
TROITSKE
NOVOSELIVKA
YURIVKA
NOVHORODSKE
NELIPIVKA
TORETSK
ZALIZNE
PIVDENNE
PIVNICHNE
DRUZHBA
HORLIVKA
BAKHMUT
MYRNOHRAD
DOBROPILLIA
Settlements
Assessed
INSO Grey Zone (May 2017)
BSU Boundary
Reference Settlements > 10,000
Non-Assessed Settlements Providing Services
Introduction Key Findings

2. 22
Protection risks due to conflict are high across
the BSU. KIs reported daily or weekly shelling
in seven communities between February and
June 2017, confirmed by International NGO
Safety Organisation (INSO) data.
Landmine / ERW risks
Landmines/ERW are reportedly present in all
assessed communities. All known hazardous
areas have been marked in Zaitseve and
Novhorodse, while some of the hazardous
areas have been marked in 11 communities
and none have been marked in Pivnichne.
Mine Risk Education (MRE) is reportedly
required in 10 communities, five of which
have received no MRE at all. KIs in Pivdene,
Pivnichne, Novhorodse and Druzhba felt these
communities had received sufficient MRE.
Protection challenges for communities
Shelling is the most frequently cited protection
concern in the BSU, reported by KIs in 10
of the communities assessed including all 7
communities where shelling is ongoing. KIs
in Pivnichne highlighted a lack of safe bomb
shelters to mitigate the risk of shelling as an
issue. Mines/ERW were the second most
common concern, followed by community
tension and destruction of property due to
shelling.
KIs also expressed concern about the
presence of armed actors, particularly in
Zalizne and Pivdenne, and problems related
to drug addiction and alcoholism in Pivnichne.
Protection
KIs reported protection services are unavailable
or insufficient across the BSU. Psycho-
social support (PSS) services are insufficient
in every community except Yurivka. Child
Friendly Spaces are reportedly insufficient
in all communities except Novoselivka and
Novobakhmutivka.
Vulnerable groups
KIs reported no specific protection concerns for
women in the communities assessed.
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are
reportedly living in five of the assessed
communities. Three communities also reported
that some residents are returnees. The highest
number of IDPs was reported in Toretsk, where
there are also a high number of returnees.
The presence of IDPs and returnees indicates
a need for additional assistance such as
documentation support for these groups.
Administrators reported high proportions of
elderly people in all communities. Data from
community KIs suggest elderly residents may
struggle to cope with service access challenges
related to distance and travel time.
Military checkpoints
Checkpoints control access to seven of the
assessed communities. Both entry and exit
are sometimes restricted by checkpoints for
residents of Ozarianivka, Verkhnotoretske
and Pivdenne. Druzhba, Novoselivka and
Novohorodske are affected by checkpoints
elsewhere.
Map 2: Courts and police stations in the BSU
Figure 3: Key protection concerns reported2
Figure 4: Checkpoints affecting communities
1. Shelling 43%
2. Mines/ERW 33%
3. Community tension 28%
4. Destruction of property 15%
43+33+28+15
Communities where checkpoint
controls access
7 / 14
Communities affected by
checkpoint elsewhere
3 / 14
Communities where checkpoint
restricts entry or exit
3 / 14
Communities where checkpoint
restricts delivery of goods
2 / 14
2. KIs could report more than one challenge.
0 3.5 7 10.5 14 Kms
KRAMATORSK
DRUZHKIVKA
KOSTIANTYNIVKA
OZARIANIVKA
ZAITSEVE
VERKHNOTORETSKE
NOVOBAKHMUTIVKA TROITSKE
NOVOSELIVKA
YURIVKA
NOVHORODSKE
NELIPIVKA
TORETSK
ZALIZNE
PIVDENNE
PIVNICHNE
DRUZHBA
HORLIVKA
BAKHMUT
Services
Court
Temporaily closed facilities
Police
Assessed
INSO Grey Zone (May 2017)
BSU Boundary
Reference Settlements > 10,000
Non-Assessed Settlements Providing Services
Service Links
Court

3. 33. The Sphere Project, ‘Humanitarian Charter and Minimum
Standards in Humanitarian Response’.
4. KIs could report more than one challenge.
There are 33 functioning schools in the BSU:
16 kindergartens, 11 all-grade schools and
6 primary and lower-secondary schools.
Education facilities are available in eight
communities, with all levels of education
available in four of these communities.
There are no facilities in Yurivka, Troitske,
Ozarianivka,Nelipivka,ZaitseveandPivdenne.
Children in these communities attend schools
in Toretsk, Pivnichne, Zalizne, Novhorodske
and Verkhnotoretske. Children from
Novobakhmutivka attend upper secondary
schools in Kostiantynivka or Toretsk.
Education access challenges
Access to education is good in Druzhba and
Pivnichne, where almost all KIs reported no
accesschallenges.Whilealllevelsofeducation
are available in Toretsk, Novhorodske and
Verkhnotoretske, security challenges and the
cost of education made access more difficult
in these communities. Across the remaining
communities the primary access challenges
are distance to schools and security risks
when travelling to school. Cost of education
is reportedly a key issue in Toretsk and
Novhorodske, while the cost of transport to
school is a challenge in Troitske and Nelipivka.
Education facility conditions
Nineteen of the facilities assessed require
repairs due to shelling damage, although
all facilities are functioning. Eight facilities
reported experiencing shelling between
Education
February and June 2017.
Access to drinking water is limited in five
schools: three schools are not connected to
the water network and two experience daily or
weekly shortages. Pupil-to-toilet ratios meet
SPHERE standards3
at kindergartens, with
15 pupils per toilet on average, and at primary
and lower-secondary schools (30 pupils per
toilet). Standards are not met at all-grade
schools (64 pupils per toilet). Nine schools are
not connected to the sewage network and use
pit latrines or flushing toilets connected to a
septic pit.
Electricity shortages were reported at
17 schools, none of which have working
generators. Two schools experienced daily
heating shortages during the last winter, and
a further six experienced infrequent heating
shortages.
Challenges delivering education
Shortages of supplies are the key challenge
for schools in the BSU. Computers, desks
and gym equipment were the most required
supplies. Insufficient funding was the second
most commonly reported issue. Pupil-to-
teacher ratios are consistent between types of
school, with 8 pupils per teacher on average at
kindergartens, 6 pupils per teacher at primary
and lower secondary schools and 9 pupils per
teacher at all-grade schools.
Map 3: Schools and kindergartens in the BSU
Figure 5: Key education challenges reported4
1. No challenges 38%
2. Distance to school is too great 25%
3. Travelling to school is unsafe 23%
4. Cost of education is too high 10%
38+24+23+10
Figure 6: Protection issues in schools
Schools experiencing regular shelling 8 / 33
Schools reporting mines/ERW in
grounds
7 / 33
Schools with accessible bomb shelters 6 / 33
Schools with insufficient PSS services 4 / 33
0 3.5 7 10.5 14 Kms
!
!
!
!
!
!!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!!
!!
!!
KRAMATORSK
DRUZHKIVKA
KOSTIANTYNIVKA
OZARIANIVKA
ZAITSEVE
VERKHNOTORETSKE
NOVOBAKHMUTIVKA TROITSKE
NOVOSELIVKA
YURIVKA
NOVHORODSKE
NELIPIVKA
TORETSK
ZALIZNE
PIVDENNE
PIVNICHNE
DRUZHBA
HORLIVKA
BAKHMUT
Services
INSO Grey Zone (May 2017)
BSU Boundary
Assessed
Reference Settlements > 10,000
Non-Assessed Settlements Providing Services
Service Links
Education
All Grades School!
Kindergarten!
Primary and Secondary Base School!

4. 44
There are 16 functioning facilities in the BSU:
6 ambulatory clinics, 3 paramedic-midwife
stations, 3 city hospitals, 2 dispensaries, 1
ambulance station and 1 blood transfusion
clinic. Primary healthcare is available in eight
communities and these services are also
used by residents of the other communities in
the BSU. Residents of Ozarianivka also use
primary healthcare in Kurdiumivka (3 km north-
east),andsomeresidentsofNovobakhmutivka
travel to Kostiantynivka (40 km). Hospitals
are available in Novhorodske and Toretsk,
although residents of Novobakhmutivka also
use hospitals in Kostiantynivka.
Healthcare access challenges
Healthcare access is good in Novhordoske
and Toretsk, where the only reported access
challenges are the cost of healthcare and
difficulties related to old age such as inability
to meet the costs of care and difficulties in
attending appointments.
Outside these communities, KIs reported a
lack of facilities as the key challenge and
highlighted that the services available at
paramedic-midwife stations are insufficient.
Lack of facilities was followed by security risks
encountered when travelling to healthcare
facilities. This is a particular issue in Pivdenne,
which is located within the INSO Grey Zone
and experiences very frequent shelling.
KIs in nine communities highlighted the cost
of healthcare as a challenge and the cost of
Health
transport was reported as a challenge in six
communities.
Health facility conditions
Six of the assessed facilities require repairs
because they have been damaged by conflict
although all are functioning. Verkhnotoretske
Ambulatory Clinic has been completely
destroyed and is operating in a borrowed
building, with the original building requiring
total reconstruction. Between February and
June 2017 shelling affected seven facilities in
the BSU, with facilities in Verkhnotoretske and
Zaitseve reporting daily or weekly shelling.
Running water is available at all facilities
except the paramedic-midwife station in
Novoselivka. Daily shortages were reported
at 1 clinic in Zalizne, while less frequent
shortages are occurring at 10 other facilities.
Four facilities experiencing shortages have no
water storage facilities and cannot consistently
provide drinking water for staff and patients.
Insufficient funding was the key reported
challenge for healthcare facilities, followed
by lack of equipment and insufficient medical
supplies. Five facilities were experiencing
shortages of basic medications including
antibiotics, insulin and anaesthetics.
Map 4: Hospitals and clinics in the BSU
Figure 7: Key healthcare challenges reported5
1. Healthcare services too expensive 47%
2. No facilities available 40%
3. Difficulties related to old age 25%
4. Security risks when travelling to
facilities
20%
47+40+25+20
Elderly people 37%
People with disabilities 36%
All groups equally 20%
Children 6%
Figure 8: Groups facing most
challenges in accessing healthcare
37+36+20+7+z
5. KIs could report more than one challenge.
0 3.5 7 10.5 14 Kms
KRAMATORSK
DRUZHKIVKA
KOSTIANTYNIVKA
OZARIANIVKA
ZAITSEVE
VERKHNOTORETSKE
NOVOBAKHMUTIVKA TROITSKE
NOVOSELIVKA
YURIVKA
NOVHORODSKE
NELIPIVKA
TORETSK
ZALIZNE
PIVDENNE
PIVNICHNE
DRUZHBA
HORLIVKA
BAKHMUT
Services
Clinic
Hospital
Assessed
INSO Grey Zone (May 2017)
BSU Boundary
Reference Settlements > 10,000
Non-Assessed Settlements Providing Services
Service Links
Health access

5. 5
Markets and Livelihoods
Market and FSP access is best in Toretsk,
Novhorodske, Zalizne and Pivnichne. These
communities have a range of functioning
shops, markets and FSPs. All the remaining
communities except Yurivka have at least
one shop, but none have FSPs and therefore
residents use FSPs in Toretsk, Novhorodske,
ZalizneandPivnichneortraveltoKostiantynivka
to use FSPs.
Challenges accessing markets
The primary market access challenges reported
were high product prices, which was a concern
in 12 of the assessed communities, and the
distance to markets. Security risks when
travelling were reported in six communities,
with KIs in Pivdenne and Verkhnotoretske most
concerned about this issue. KIs in Zaitseve
stated that delays and queues at checkpoints
made market access difficult, in addition to the
cost of transport to markets.
Checkpoints and delivery restrictions
Checkpoints control access to seven
communities but restrict the delivery of goods
in only two communities: Verkhnotoretske and
Pivdenne. In both communities, checkpoints
restrict deliveries of coal, wood, construction
materials and food.
Challenges accessing FSPs
As FSPs are available in only four communities,
the distance to FSPs and the lack of FSPs were
themostcommonlyreportedaccesschallenges.
KIs in Toretsk reported no challenges in using
FSPs, although KIs in the other communities
with FSPs highlighted queues at FSPs as an
issue.
Map 5: Banks and ATMs in the BSU Map 6: Most visited locations for food shopping in the BSU
0 3.5 7 10.5 14 Kms
KRAMATORSK
DRUZHKIVKA
KOSTIANTYNIVKA
OZARIANIVKA
ZAITSEVE
VERKHNOTORETSKE
NOVOBAKHMUTIVKA TROITSKE
NOVOSELIVKA
YURIVKA
NOVHORODSKE
NELIPIVKA
TORETSK
ZALIZNE
PIVDENNE
PIVNICHNE
DRUZHBA
HORLIVKA
BAKHMUT
Services
Bank
Assessed
INSO Grey Zone (May 2017)
BSU Boundary
Reference Settlements > 10,000
Non-Assessed Settlements Providing Services
Service Links
Banks
0 3.5 7 10.5 14 Kms
KRAMATORSK
DRUZHKIVKA
KOSTIANTYNIVKA
OZARIANIVKA
ZAITSEVE
VERKHNOTORETSKE
NOVOBAKHMUTIVKA TROITSKE
NOVOSELIVKA
YURIVKA
NOVHORODSKE
NELIPIVKA
TORETSK
ZALIZNE
PIVDENNE
PIVNICHNE
DRUZHBA
HORLIVKA
BAKHMUT
Services
Food Shop
Assessed
INSO Grey Zone (May 2017)
BSU Boundary
Reference Settlements > 10,000
Non-Assessed Settlements Providing Services
Service Links
Shop for Food

6. 66
Availability
Food availability is good across the BSU.
Availability is best in Novhorodske and
Pivnichne, where all 28 of the assessed
products are available, and least good
in Zaitseve, where 17 of the assessed
products are available.
Beef and pork are the least available
products, with beef only available in three
communities and pork only available
in seven communities. Purchasing dry
products presents fewest challenges, as
these are consistently available across the
BSU. Dairy products are available in the
majority of communities assessed.
Food Security
Prices
Prices were consistent across the BSU for
dry products such as bread, salt and sugar.
Fresh vegetable prices varied more than
dry product prices. The prices of beef and
dairy products varied most.
Variation in dairy and fresh produce prices
is due to self-production of vegetables
and dairy products, which is a very
common livelihoods strategy in rural
areas. Because so many residents grow
root vegetables, they are not available in
all markets due to a lack of demand, and
dairy products are cheaper in rural areas.
17
26
0
30 Maximum price in data set
(UAH)
Minimum price in data set
(UAH)
Upper quartile: 25% of the
data is above this point
Median price in data set
(UAH)
Lower quartile: 25% of the
data is below this point
Item
name
10
20
6
How to read a boxplotBoxplot 1: Prices of meat and curd
Boxplot 2: Prices of other food items
7
30 30
12
10
12
15
31
9
14.5
10
22
9
6
15
18
10 10
5
20
12
5 5
8 8
15
4
10
6
16
7
3.5
9
16
8 7.5
16
40
43
20
21
20
27
40
16
18
16
36
13.1
9
25
27
12
18
0
10
20
30
40
50
Beetroot
(1kg)
Buckwheat
(1kg)
Butter
(200g)
Cabbage
(1kg)
Carrot
(1kg)
Eggs
(dozen)
Milk
(2,5%, 1 litre)
Oil
(sunflower 1 litre)
Onions
(1kg)
Pasta
(1kg)
Potatoes
(1kg)
Rice
(1kg)
Rye bread
(loaf)
Salt
(1kg)
Sour cream
(15%, 200g)
Sugar
(1kg)
Wheat bread
(loaf)
Wheat flour
(1kg)
Price(UAH)
100
65
45
90
75
72.5
70
45
32
80
40 40
126
85
80
120
100 100
0
50
100
150
Price(UAH)
Beef
(1kg)
Boiled sausage
(1kg)
Curd
(9%, 1kg)
Pork
(1kg)
Pork fat
(1kg)
Poultry
(1kg)

7. 7
Accommodation types
Across the BSU, the local population is
more likely than IDPs to live in self-owned
accommodation, with the majority of IDPs
reportedly living in rented accommodation.
Very few members of the local population live
in rented accommodation, except in Toretsk,
where 40-60% of the population rent their
homes. Administrators in Novobakhmutivka
reported the majority of IDPs live in self-owned
accommodation.
Housing damage
Administrators provided data on housing
damage in five communities of the BSU.
Shelling has damaged housing in all five
of these communities, but the density of
damage is relatively low. The highest density
of damage was reported in Novobakhmutivka
and Zalizne. Enumerators observed high
numbers of damaged and destroyed homes in
Zaitseve and Verkhnotoretske.
Shelter
Access to construction materials
A limited range of construction materials
is available in all communities except
Novoselivka. KIs reported very limited
materials are available in five communities.
Utility shortages
All communities in the BSU are connected
to the electricity network but experience
shortages, which are most frequent in
Verkhnotoretske. Gas shortages were
reported in Verkhnotoretske and Zaitseve, but
most communities do not use gas.
Communities experience difficulties heating
their homes during winters. The key challenge
reported is the cost of fuel, cited by KIs in all
communities, followed by delivery problems,
poor availability of fuel and poor quality of fuel
supplied.
Access to drinking water
AccesstodrinkingwatervariesacrosstheBSU.
Nelipivka, Novoselivka, Troitske and Yurivka
are not connected to the water network, while
daily or weekly shortages occur in some areas
of six communities. Shortages are infrequent
in the remaining four communities.
Wells are used as a drinking water source in
seven communities and are the primary source
of drinking water in the four communities
without running water. KIs reported no issues
with the quality or quantity of water obtained
from wells.
WASH challenges for communities
The key WASH challenge reported is water
shortages, reported in nine communities
across the BSU. KIs in Novhorodske reported
no challenges related to WASH, while in
Troitske and Novoselivka the only challenge
reported was difficulty emptying septic tanks.
Inability to empty septic tanks was reported
as a challenge in 10 communities, as not all
households within these communities are
connected to sewage networks. The cost of
emptying septic tanks and the lack of waste
pumping vehicles were mentioned as issues
preventing households from emptying septic
tanks.
Waste management
Within the BSU, waste collection services
are available in nine communities. They are
used by all residents only in Novhorodske and
Pivnichne, which are the only communities
following good waste disposal practices.
Across the BSU, the most common method
of waste disposal is burning or burying waste,
although dumping waste in public areas is
also common. KIs in Zaitseve reported that
waste dumping is a serious issue because
conflict restricts waste collection services in
the community.
Figure 11: Density of housing damage in
assessed communities
Community No. of damaged
housing units
Damaged units per
100 residents
Novobakhmutivka 50 7
Zalizne 272 5
Toretsk 870 3
Pivnichne 220 2
Novhorodske 75 1
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
Communities following bad waste
disposal practices
12 / 14
Communities without running water 4 / 14
Figure 9: WASH situation in assessed
communities
Figure 10: Key WASH challenges reported6
1. Water shortages 35%
2. No challenges 33%
3. Cannot empty septic tank 27%
4. Damage to infrastructure 23%
35+33+27+23 About REACH
REACH facilitates the development of
information tools and products that enhance
the capacity of aid actors to make evidence-
based decisions in emergency, recovery and
development contexts. All REACH activities are
conducted through inter-agency aid coordination
mechanisms. For more information, you can
write to our global office: geneva@reach-
initiative.org.
Visit www.reach-initiative.org and follow us
@REACH_info.
6. KIs could report more than one challenge.