Red Cross Humanitarian aid in Ukraine

The British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal is supporting people in Ukraine after the escalation of conflict. The Red Cross is providing humanitarian aid including psychosocial support and essentials such as food and fuel. 

Last updated 19 February 2024

Continued destruction: unimaginable toll on Ukrainian civilians

It's been two years since the conflict in Ukraine first escalated at the end of February 2022. During this time, the country has changed drastically.

Countless homes, schools, hospitals, and important infrastructure have been destroyed. Millions have fled, leaving everything they have ever known. Tragically, thousands of Ukrainian people have died or been injured. The scars are deep, but the people of Ukraine remain strong.

The Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal has already reached more than 18 million people with life-saving humanitarian aid, within Ukraine and neighbouring countries. Our response grows daily - each hour that passes has a terrible human cost. Please help us continue our vital work.

Donate to the Ukraine Crisis Appeal

Are you a Ukrainian national in the UK? The Red Cross can help you

If you are a Ukrainian refugee in the UK or a displaced person, the Red Cross has information on family visas, the Ukrainian family scheme, and claiming asylum in the UK.

Help for Ukrainian Refugees




We have 71,000 volunteers and staff working closely with affected communities and to cover their basic needs. We are focused on being adaptable, flexible and responsive to whatever happens next.
Maksym Dotsenko Director General of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society

 

How is the Red Cross providing ongoing support in Ukraine?

Our priority is to assist people during this time of heightened tension. 

The Ukrainian Red Cross (URCS) is the leading humanitarian charity organisation in Ukraine. and since the onset of this conflict, has been supported by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to step up its response. 

In Ukraine, the Movement has supported: 

  • 2.9 million people have been reached with food assistance
  • Over 1.6 million people have been reached with clothing and household items
  • Over 2.5 million people have been reached with hygiene supplies 
  • Over 1.6 million people have supported with access to adequate heating 
  • 384,000 people have been trained in first aid 
  • 397,000 people have been assisted with transportation or evacuation 
  • 3000 people have been provided with livelihood support for food production 
  • Over 2000 people have been reached with education support (including childcare and summer camps) 

How the British Red Cross has supported during the conflict

Over the last two years, the British Red Cross has supported more than 68,000 people displaced from Ukraine who have arrived in the UK.  

This includes: helping to reunite people displaced by the conflict in Ukraine with family members, sharing information (including an information pack to help people settle into their new lives in the UK, available in English, Ukrainian and Russian), offering a dedicated phone line for support, distributing SIM cards, and providing emergency financial assistance.    

  • Our phone line has answered over 83,000 calls  
  • We’ve provided emergency cash-based assistance to 68,000 people, with £3.1 million distributed in total
  • Over 23,000 SIM cards have been distributed, helping people to stay in touch with their loved ones.   
  • Our refugee services have helped over 3,800 Ukrainians (including dependants) in the UK who are struggling with accommodation, food, basic supplies, and access to welfare benefits.  

Read the latest information on the conflict in Ukraine

Ukrainian Red Cross staff and volunteers are providing food and other basic necessities to about about 8,000 people who are sheltering in a subway station in Kyiv.

Ukrainian Red Cross volunteers and staff providing food and other basic necessities to 8,000 people sheltering in a subway station in Kyiv, 2022.

The Ukranian Red Cross delivering supplies to Ukrainian citizens sheltering in a subway station.

The Ukrainian Red Cross delivering supplies to Ukrainian citizens sheltering in a subway station, 2022.

How to support people in Ukraine with the Red Cross

The situation in Ukraine is incredibly tense, dangerous, and distressing for people. Red Cross volunteers and teams in Ukraine and the border countries are providing essential aid. Donations are helping us to achieve this.

If you wish to donate to a charity helping Ukraine, you can donate to The Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal.

 

Volunteering in Ukraine with the Red Cross

The British Red Cross is not currently sending volunteers to Ukraine from the UK. However, you can become a volunteer in the UK and support the British Red Cross with their vital work. 

Right now, the best way to help people in Ukraine from the UK is by donating money to our emergency appeal. These donations are by far the quickest, safest, and more direct way to help people and support the work of the Red Cross in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.

Find out more about why cash is best for emergency appeals 

 

Donating items to Ukraine with the Red Cross

Donations of clothes, blankets, medicine, and other items are appreciated, but we only accept money for emergency appeals. Items have to be sorted, cleaned, and transported, which slows down our response, and we aim to support people as quickly as possible. 

If you wish to donate money to charities helping Ukraine, you can donate to the Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal.

How else can I support people in Ukraine?

A Ukrainian Red Cross volunteer delivers first aid to a man injured during the crisis.

A Ukrainian Red Cross volunteer delivers first aid to a man injured during the crisis, 2022.

The current humanitarian situation in Ukraine

10 million people have had to leave their homes to seek safety elsewhere: Some 3.7 million people are internally displaced inside Ukraine. There are 6.3 million people who have fled from Ukraine and now live in other parts of the world. This is about 25% of the population.  

Hundreds of thousands of people living close to the line of contact are regularly suffering from disrupted access to food, water, and electricity. This has been their daily reality for almost eight years.

The impact is widespread and some of the most vulnerable people are the hardest hit. People, including those with disabilities and medical conditions have taken shelter in basements along with the wounded. However, supplies of food and water are rapidly running out.

This is an active, ongoing conflict that continues to inflict heavy humanitarian consequences on homes, essential infrastructure and people’s lives and well-being.

Whatever happens, we will continue to be close to the affected communities to help them cover their basic needs and be prepared during challenging times.

 

As the conflict evolves and escalates, the anguish and fear people have endured over the recent days deepens. We are extremely concerned that the conflict is affecting very populated areas. As we have seen before, when neighbourhoods become the frontline, the consequences for people - including children, the sick, the elderly - are simply devastating.
Florence Gillette, ICRC Head of Delegation in Ukraine

 

Ongoing Red Cross humanitarian support in Ukraine

For the past eight years, the International Red Cross in Ukraine (the Ukrainian Red Cross Society) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), have helped communities affected by the conflict and will continue to do so.

The Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) is helping people maintain their livelihoods as well as providing psychological support.

In areas where access to healthcare services is limited, volunteers and staff provide first aid training, operate mobile health teams, and raise awareness of health risks in communities.

They have also been supporting small businesses with cash grants or equipment and vocational training, as well as raising awareness of mines through training and educational sessions run by the Ukraine Red Cross Society.

As the situation in Ukraine develops, the Red Cross’ priority is to support people during this time of heightened tension and anxiety.

 

What charities are helping Ukraine?

The British Red Cross is one of many charities helping Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees. We're also working with multiple charities within Ukraine to ensure your donations go to the people who need help the most.

The Ukraine Red Cross is leading this humanitarian work, with support from the British Red Cross, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and many others.

We're all working together to provide fast, reliable and life-changing aid to Ukrainians within and outside of Ukraine.

If you want to donate to a charity helping Ukraine, you can donate to the Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal.

A Ukraine Red Cross Society volunteer shows a boy whose father disappeared a donated laptop.

A Ukraine Red Cross Society volunteer shows a boy, whose father disappeared, a donated laptop. 2020/21

An 80 year old woman standing in her house which was damaged by shelling. The ICRC repaired the house so she was warm again.

An 80-year-old woman stands in her house that has been damaged by shelling. The ICRC repaired the damage so she was warm in the brutal winters. 2020/21

Are you concerned about a British family member in Ukraine?

If you have a family member who is a British citizen and currently in Ukraine, you can contact the Foreign Commonwealth and Development office for more information:


British Nationals who need assistance

Consular support is still available to British nationals through the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office 24-hour helpline:

  • From Ukraine: +380 44 490 3660
  • From the UK: +44 (0) 1908 516666