Finding safety after fleeing Ukraine’s frontline

With your support, UNHCR is providing families like Kateryna's with relief items and psychological support, helping them adjust to life away from home.

For families living close to the frontline in Ukraine, life can change in seconds.

A drone flies overhead. An explosion shatters windows and doors. Children hide under their blankets, waiting for the danger to pass.

For Kateryna and her grandsons, this fear became part of everyday life.

But thanks to compassionate supporters like you, help was there when the family needed it most. 

"We had to leave so the children could sleep without fear.”

Kateryna, 63, lived with her two grandsons in a village close to the frontline in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. After her son died, she became the children’s legal guardian and has cared for them ever since.

For a long time, their village was relatively quiet. The boys continued attending school, with classes held underground in a shelter. But as attacks increased, even the journey there became dangerous.

“I would take them to school, but it became frightening even on the way because drones were flying overhead,” says Kateryna.

“At night the children were very afraid. They couldn’t sleep. We would run and hide wherever there were two walls to protect us. They would take their blankets and cover themselves and cry because they were so scared.”

As the danger grew, Kateryna faced an impossible decision. She wanted to stay in their community. But it was no longer safe.

“I decided we had to leave so the children could sleep at night and go to school without fear.”

A step towards safety

With help from local authorities, Kateryna and her grandsons found safety at a centre for displaced families. Here, UNHCR and partners are providing relief items for those in need.

“They gave us bedding and towels, and we receive meals twice a day,” says Kateryna. “Everyone here has been very kind and helpful. I am very grateful for everything.”

For Ukrainians who have lived through attacks and displacement, reaching safety is just the first step. Although Kateryna and her grandsons are now somewhere warmer and more secure, the fear remains.

“In the evenings they start listening carefully,” she says. “Sometimes they say, ‘Granny, something is flying, it’s whirring. We need to hide.’ They take their blankets and sit in the corner.”

Thanks to your generous support, displaced families like Kateryna’s can also access psychological care to help them recover from the trauma of war and slowly rebuild a sense of stability.

Kateryna is now focused on helping her grandsons feel secure again. She hopes that one day they can return home and live without fear.

“I pray for the war to end so that we can return home,” she says. “However good other places may be, you still want to go back to your home. I just want the children to be safe, warm and able to sleep peacefully again.”

How you're helping families across Ukraine

After four years of full-scale war, families across Ukraine are exhausted and uncertain about what the future holds.

Your generosity is helping UNHCR deliver aid where it is needed most. This year, dedicated teams have:

• Distributed relief items including bedding, blankets and other essentials to 83,138 people

• Delivered cash assistance to 86,820 Ukrainians, helping them pay for food, medicine, rent and utilities

• Provided 92,086 people with emergency shelter support including construction materials, shelter kits and housing repairs

Thank you for standing with the people of Ukraine. Your support reminds families that, even in their most difficult moments, they have not been forgotten.