© UNHCR/Oleksii Barkov
Relentless Russian attacks are killing and injuring people, forcing families to flee and shattering communities.
Recent attacks struck a maternity hospital in Odesa with dozens of pregnant women and newborns inside. Another attack struck a clearly-marked humanitarian vehicle evacuating people from their town near the frontlines, killing two civilians.
After more than four years of full-scale war, Ukrainians are exhausted and deeply traumatised. Nowhere and no one in the country is truly safe.
The death toll is rising and suffering is only growing. Please donate now to provide safe shelter and emergency aid for families facing non-stop violence.
Ruslan, displaced from Kherson
Almost 10 million people remain displaced, either inside Ukraine or as refugees in neighbouring countries such as Poland and Moldova. Countless homes have been destroyed, along with schools, hospitals and vital infrastructure.
Ruslan and his children are among those whose lives have been torn apart.
After losing his infant son more than a decade ago, Ruslan decided to open his heart to other children in need of love and care. He became a foster parent to six children aged 3 – 18. But then war came to their doorstep.
On the first day of the full-scale invasion, Russian forces occupied their town in Kherson. Shops closed. Food and medicine disappeared. Ruslan tried to evacuate with the children, but their convoy was shelled and they were forced to retreat.
The family lived under occupation for nine months. Ruslan was able to keep them going on bread and pickles.
“We survived because we worked together,” he says. “We didn’t panic. The children were with me, and that’s what mattered.”
But even after Ukrainian forces retook the city, missiles continued to fall. The family’s home was badly damaged, forcing them to flee to Odesa.
UNHCR is working tirelessly to provide displaced families like Ruslan's with safe shelter and survival essentials. But attacks are escalating and Ukrainians urgently need your help.
We cannot let the people of Ukraine miss out on emergency aid - lives are at stake.
Your generous gift can help families find safe shelter; provide relief items like blankets, mattresses and clothing; offer psychological support; and distribute emergency cash to help refugees survive in new countries.
Your gift can help us repair damaged homes and upgrade shelters to provide safe, warm places for people fleeing the war.
Your gift can provide cash assistance to help refugees cover their basic needs, including shelter, food and electricity.
Your gift can help displaced people access social services and psychological support such as counselling.
Viktoriia, 20, from Dnipropetrovsk
The full-scale war in Ukraine is now entering its fifth year. Relentless attacks continue every day, destroying homes, schools, hospitals and vital infrastructure.
Nearly 10 million Ukrainians remain forcibly displaced, including 3.7 million people inside the country and 5.9 million living as refugees. Every day, more families are evacuated or forced to flee from frontline areas.
You can support refugees enduring another year of full-scale war by making a donation.
Your donation can support refugees fleeing Ukraine and people displaced within the country. Your gift can provide cash assistance, psychological support, and relief items such as blankets, sleeping mats and kitchen sets. With your help, UNHCR can also repair and insulate damaged homes to protect Ukrainians from harsh weather elements.
Your donation can support refugees fleeing Ukraine and people displaced within the country. Your gift can provide cash assistance, psychological support, and relief items such as blankets and sleeping mats. With your help, UNHCR can also repair and insulate damaged homes to keep Ukrainians safe and warm during harsh winters.
If you are seeking information or support inside Ukraine, please visit the UNHCR Ukraine HELP Website.
If you are seeking information or support, visit the HELP Page for the country you have fled to:
UNHCR remains present in Ukraine and neighbouring countries responding to the humanitarian needs of refugees and internally displaced people. Inside Ukraine, UNHCR and its partners have expanded operations to frontline areas where help is most needed. Our teams are renovating and improving centres for displaced Ukrainians and providing assistance including emergency shelter materials, relief items, legal advice and counselling for families forced to flee.
In neighbouring countries, UNHCR is working with host communities to support the inclusion of refugees in socio-economic activities and provide them with access to essential services including education, employment, housing, social welfare and medical assistance.
Staff safety remains our utmost priority. UNHCR staff are present across Ukraine, delivering assistance wherever access and security allow. Our teams have expanded their operations to hard-to-reach areas in east and south Ukraine, including areas recently retaken by Ukraine where the needs remain acute.
UNHCR has a longstanding presence in the region, working with national authorities on refugee-related matters. We have offices in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. UNHCR also established a country office in Moldova in 2022.
Inside Ukraine, UNHCR has scaled up its presence significantly to stay and deliver assistance whenever and wherever access and security allow. Where permitted, our teams and partners are working in frontline areas where the needs remain acute.
The majority of funds raised by Aotearoa New Zealand for UNHCR are directed to UNHCR’s emergency operations, providing the ready funds and resources to respond quickly and effectively in situations of crisis and disaster.
