Since 2022, the Government has established so-called “Invincibility Points” – located in tents or public buildings such as schools and libraries – where people can go to escape the cold, charge electronic devices and receive basic support.
Additional initiatives have also been launched, including mobile heating points managed by the State Emergency Services and the Ukrainian Red Cross Society. Humanitarian partners have supported these efforts with equipment, hot meals and technical assistance.
A ‘very hard’ winter
A UN team led by the Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, recently visited several heating points and mobile kitchens in Boryspil, a city in the kyiv region.
They met with residents, authorities, first responders and aid organizations at an Invincibility Point in a tent.
“This winter has been very hard for us,” said Kateryna, a mother of two young children who lives on the outskirts of the city.
“We don’t have electricity at home. We came here to stay warm, charge our phones and the kids’ devices. It was very cold in our house.”
UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Matthias Schmale (left) meets with staff and volunteers of the Ukrainian Red Cross.
Food, warmth and support.
A large food truck was set up near the tent where the NGO Foods Without Borders prepared hot meals in a mobile kitchen so that people affected by the cold and power outages could get something to eat.
The group provided similar services after last November’s attacks in Shostka, located in the Sumy region.
“This is one of many notable initiatives supporting the people of Ukraine during this harsh winter,” said Schmale.
“As attacks on energy infrastructure continue, many people are facing prolonged power, heat and water outages, as well as limited ability to prepare hot food.”
Falling temperatures
Schmale also visited a heating point installed by the Ukrainian Red Cross in the city of Boryspil. Viktor, a volunteer at the site, described the harsh conditions many people there face.
“In some apartments the temperature drops to five degrees Celsius,” he says.
“People spend long hours in our warm tent, especially in the afternoons when temperatures drop even lower at night.”
A woman serves a hot meal in a heated tent in Boryspil.
Families were frozen
Aid workers are also carrying out activities under a winter response plan launched last year that aims to reach 1.7 million people across Ukraine between October and March.
Despite these efforts, the rapidly evolving situation (including sustained, large-scale attacks on energy infrastructure) has caused service disruptions that far exceed the scenarios envisioned in the plan.
Frequent power outages leave many families in freezing conditions. Many older people and people with disabilities are often trapped at home in high-rise apartment buildings, without electricity or heat, unable to cook hot meals or recharge their devices to stay connected.
Families with children also wonder how to keep them safe and healthy.
The UN and its partners are seeking $2.3 million to help 4.1 million of Ukraine’s most vulnerable people this year.
For families facing harsh winter weather, having a place where they can stay warm, eat a hot meal and recharge a phone can mean the difference between facing serious health risks.