© UNHCR/ Maciej Moskwa
“All neighbouring towns and villages became a battlefield. We left everything behind, absolutely everything.”
Nastia, refugee from Ukraine
More than six million refugees have fled Ukraine. Another five million people are displaced inside the country.
When bombs fell near her home in Dnipro, Nastia escaped with her mother and two children. They survived an arduous journey to the Polish border and are now staying in Wroclaw.
However, they are running low on cash and don’t know when they’ll be able to return home. Loud noises like ambulance sirens continue to scare Nastia’s five-year-old son.
In Ukraine, families remain under fire. Homes, hospitals and schools have been destroyed.
Forced to shelter in bunkers or crowded accommodation centres, Ukrainians are desperate for the fighting to end. Many are cut off from essential supplies such as food, water and power, and need urgent assistance.
With no end to the war in sight, the people of Ukraine still need your help.
Rozalia registered for UNHCR cash assistance in Poland after a three-day journey to reach the border.
Refugees have been forced to leave everything behind to reach safety in countries such as Poland and Moldova.
They need a safe place to stay, cash to buy basic items such as food and clothing, and access to counselling and legal aid.
The majority of refugees fleeing Ukraine are women and children. Many have special needs and require additional support. Together with UNICEF, UNHCR has established Blue Dot protection hubs across the region to support the most vulnerable, such as unaccompanied children, young mothers and older people.
With your support, UNHCR is helping refugees find safe shelter, providing essential supplies such as thermal blankets and winter clothing, and distributing cash assistance to help people meet their basic needs.
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 medicine.
Your gift can help displaced people access social services and psychological support such as counselling.
Liubov, a World War II survivor, fled her home in Kyiv with a small bag containing key documents.
You can support refugees fleeing Ukraine and people internally displaced within the country by making a donation or fundraising for us.
If you are looking for information on how to assist family members or friends in Ukraine, see our Help page here.
Your donation can support refugees fleeing Ukraine and people displaced within the country. Your support can help provide protection, cash assistance and core relief items such as shelter materials, blankets and sleeping mats.
UNHCR continues to provide refugees from Ukraine with protection, cash assistance, shelter, and core relief items such as solar lamps, blankets and water jerry-cans.
Some of the ways UNHCR is helping people forced to flee:
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:
Read more on protection enquiries and related matters.
UNHCR remains present in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, responding to the humanitarian needs of refugees and internally displaced persons. Our teams are providing assistance including protection, emergency shelter, home repairs, legal advice and cash.
UNHCR remains committed to monitoring the situation in Ukraine and at the borders to ensure the protection of people exiting and entering. There has been a recent increase in entry to Ukraine linked to the return of refugees for the start of the school year. UNHCR provides protection counselling, legal assistance, social accompaniment and transportation services for people crossing the borders, as well as assistance in obtaining civil documentation to facilitate travel and access to social benefits in host countries.
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 recently taken areas 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.
UNHCR has scaled up its presence significantly to stay and deliver for those in need. As of February 2023, we have offer 320 staff in Ukraine and 404 staff in neighbouring countries.
UNHCR is shifting from emergency response to supporting governments in the inclusion of refugees. We work with host communities to expand access to essential services such as education, employment, housing, social welfare and medical assistance.
Since the majority of refugees fleeing Ukraine are women and children, UNHCR is providing child protection activities and working to prevent gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and trafficking.
The majority of funds raised by Australia 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.