Ukraine 3 Years On: All of us can play a part in helping the people of Ukraine maintain hope for the future

On the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I have been reflecting on what Ukrainians are experiencing today, how UNHCR continues to support the humanitarian emergency and what is likely to happen in the year ahead.

This war hit close to home for me, and continues to do so, despite the fading news headlines. My brother lived in Ukraine with his family from 2010 until February 2022, when they left Kyiv on one of the last commercial flights just before the Russian attacks began. They packed just a few belongings and left the family dog with a neighbour, fully expecting the crisis would blow over and they would return home within a few days.

During my own visits to UNHCR operations inside Ukraine and in neighbouring countries like Romania and Moldova, so many displaced Ukrainian families I met had likewise fled simply with what they could carry, hoping to return in a short while.

Sadly, for them and for millions of Ukrainians and foreign nationals who had made Ukraine their home, this would not turn out to be the case. This week, on the anniversary of the war, we honour the resilience and courage of Ukrainians and remember what they have experienced – a brutal war that triggered the largest displacement and humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II.

While we all hope dearly for an end to this war and for a lasting peace, it is far from clear this will happen soon. And so Ukrainians are preparing for a fourth year of devastating loss of life, casualties, forced displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure due to the conflict.

My brother is among the lucky ones. His family are living safely in the UK, and he has recently returned to Ukraine to resume his work in the agricultural sector, which remains a vital part of the country’s economy. He is living in Kyiv, which is far away from the front lines but where missile and drone strikes remain a constant threat. Like anyone else who has a loved one living in a war zone, I worry about my brother – but I also fully support his choice to return to the country he loves and join in being part of its future.

On the ground

Last week, I joined a live briefing with UNHCR’s head office in Kyiv and colleagues in the field in Dnipro (a major hub for UNHCR in the East) and Mykolaiv (a hub in the South). They spoke about the more than 2 million homes across Ukraine that have been destroyed or damaged, along with critical infrastructure such as energy capacity, hospitals, schools and more. Daily attacks in eastern Ukraine are driving increasing levels of displacement of the civilian population; since August more than 150,000 people have been forced to flee their homes from areas near the front lines in the East, such as Dnipro.

Some 3.7 million Ukrainians are internally displaced in the country, and as the war grinds on, the capacity of local authorities to support displaced families and vulnerable people has been stretched further and further – making it vital that UNHCR and the Ukrainian partner charities that we fund can continue to deliver humanitarian relief items, cash assistance, shelter support, counselling and other services, especially for the most vulnerable families and individuals.

During the live briefing, we met an elderly couple who live in a small village near Mykolaiv, whose home was destroyed in the early months of the war by a missile – to be precise, on 22 April 2022. They had not wanted to leave their home, but a few days earlier, their children had persuaded them to evacuate – which saved their life, as they would not have survived the missile attack.

Thanks to support provided by UNHCR to a local partner organisation, the couple have now been able to rebuild their home. They recently moved back in, and they shared with us their joy and emotion at being in their beloved home again – against a visual background of a wall of photographs of their home in ruins, and speaking with us about the long process of reconstruction.

It was a moving reminder of the continued impact of the war on all Ukrainians, especially the most vulnerable.

Liutizh, Ukraine – War-affected Ukrainians receive much needed winter support from UNHCR. © UNHCR/Iryna Tymchyshyn

Since the start of the war, UNHCR has helped repair over 37,500 homes across Ukraine. These efforts have enabled families to remain in or return to their homes, significantly contributing to the stabilisation and rebuilding of war-affected communities. The program focuses on both minor and major repairs, including fixing roofs, replacing windows and doors, and adding insulation to ensure homes are habitable and warm during the cold months.

Alongside shelter support, the largest UNHCR programme in Ukraine is cash assistance, which is consistently preferred by families as this gives them independence to purchase items they need the most and which are appropriate to their family’s needs. In 2024, UNHCR distributed around £127 million in cash assistance to more than 525,000 war-affected people to help cover the cost of basic items like food, medicines, clothes, accommodation and utilities. Furthermore, last year UNHCR supported 660,000 people in Ukraine with protection services, such as legal assistance, counselling and replacing lost documents.

Looking ahead

At this stage of the war, UNHCR estimates that in 2025, 12.7 million Ukrainians are in need of humanitarian assistance. These needs are urgent, with winter being the most challenging time of year due to very cold temperatures and long hours of darkness. But with the help of generous partners and supporters from around the world, including many here in the UK, UNHCR can continue to deliver life-saving assistance, shelter and protection to hundreds of thousands of displaced Ukrainians, both in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries.

As the UNHCR High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, stated on a visit to Ukraine in January, “This is not the time to forget the millions of Ukrainians who have been forced to flee their homes and, for too many of them, their country.”

You can support UNHCR’s work in Ukraine by:

Making a donation to our Ukraine appeal here

Getting a Clear Sky debit card from Revolut, who will match your £5 donation

Sharing a social media post or raising awareness in your community about the urgent humanitarian needs in Ukraine and how people can lend their support through charities like UK for UNHCR

As Ukraine continues to face the challenges of the ongoing war, all of us can play a part in helping the people of Ukraine maintain hope for the future.

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To find out more about UNHCR’s work in Ukraine and how you can help, visit our website here.