Two Years On, American Support Vital for Ukrainians Amid Ongoing Crisis

Millions of Ukrainians still displaced from their homes

By Edgar Zúñiga Jr., Ukraine Communications Delegate, American Red Cross

“Of course, I want to go back” is a phrase the American Red Cross delegation based in Central and Eastern Europe has heard countless times in almost a dozen countries, including most recently in Lithuania when speaking to Iryna, a young Ukrainian woman the delegation met at a Red Cross branch office.

It’s been two years since the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, and the American Red Cross continues to fund assistance to Ukrainians in Ukraine and neighboring countries where disaster responders from multiple Red Cross Societies are still on the ground helping. The impacts of the conflict have taken a toll, particularly on the most vulnerable ─ children, people with disabilities and the elderly.

As funds dwindle and employment is oftentimes difficult to come by, some Ukrainians are struggling with the possibility of returning to Ukraine despite the ongoing conflict, while others are doing their best to find their way in new countries with new languages.

In Slovakia, American Red Crossers met with Yulia, whose husband was killed in the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. The pain is still very palpable, especially for her young daughter, who was the apple of her father’s eye. Despite the heartbreak, Yulia remains strong for herself and her daughter. “I am very grateful for the help we have received from the Red Cross to have a place to live here in Slovakia, a safe place for my daughter,” Yulia said in her native Ukrainian. Yulia is now sharing a small apartment with her daughter thanks to Slovak Red Cross support and American Red Cross funding.

Meanwhile, in Lithuania, Vasil and Anastasiia Moseyko, who had been married for over sixty years, were forced to flee their home in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, due to the conflict. They sought refuge in Lithuania, where their daughter had been living for several years. "When we first arrived, the Red Cross provided us with food and emergency supplies," recalled Anastasiia Moseyko at the Kaunas office of the Lithuanian Red Cross. "Since then, they have assisted us with registering with the Lithuanian government and have offered various forms of support."

The generosity of the American people has made a difference
in the lives of many families, both in and outside of Ukraine

The Red Cross network has provided crucial assistance to Ukrainians, offering not only cash for shelter, food and emergency supplies, but also implementing one of the largest cash assistance programs in the history of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. This extensive support has been made possible in part by the generosity of the American people. The American Red Cross contributed $24 million to fund cash assistance for individuals affected by the conflict in Ukraine and its neighboring countries and provided technical support for the program.

Additionally, the American Red Cross has contributed over $99 million to support the efforts of its Red Cross network partners, both within and outside Ukraine. This includes assistance to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Ukrainian Red Cross Society. Furthermore, the American Red Cross has extended support to other sister National Societies, such as the Polish Red Cross, Romanian Red Cross and Hungarian Red Cross, all of which border Ukraine. They have also assisted the German Red Cross and Danish Red Cross in their efforts to aid some of the most vulnerable individuals within Ukraine itself.

The American Red Cross has also provided $24.5 million in funds to external partners assisting Ukrainians, including Mercy Corps and Core Response. In Ukraine, the American Red Cross has been supporting different sister National Societies operating in country, including the German Red Cross. Thanks to American Red Cross funds, the German Red Cross has helped the Ukrainian Red Cross Society run more than a dozen mobile health units that have assisted more than 46,000 people in places like Rivne, Volyn and Odesa. The American Red Cross also funded a grant for mine-safety training in areas close to the frontlines in Ukraine. American Red Cross funds have covered the heating utility costs in the winter for 15 residential and care homes, for either the elderly or people with disabilities. The American Red Cross and German Red Cross have also worked together to rehabilitate shelters, including a bomb shelter in Dnipro.

The Red Cross, a familiar emblem in unfamiliar lands,
a financial and psychosocial lifeline

“When the armed conflict in Ukraine escalated in February 2022, millions of people left their homes and you know what they found when they arrived in foreign countries, something familiar, they found the Red Cross,” said Robert Kaufman, Head of Mission and Field Representative for the American Red Cross Ukraine and Impacted Countries Crisis Response. “Because of the support of millions of Americans that gave generously, the American Red Cross was able to respond and support Red Cross National Societies all around Ukraine and inside Ukraine with not only lifesaving support, but also hope.”

Part of that hope comes from help lines the American Red Cross has funded in Poland and other neighboring countries, that Ukrainians can call in their native language to receive guidance and psychosocial support, in many instances even access to trained Ukrainian psychologists at no cost.

Iryna, Ukrainian Red Crosser in Lithuania For now, Iryna plans to continue working at the Lithuanian Red Cross branch office in Kaunas, providing assistance and a listening ear to those who call the help line. “Of course, we can help them with very specific needs, but other times just listening and letting them know that they are not alone in this situation is really important,” Iryna said. “We can do this together. They also help me know that I’m not alone and it keeps me going, it keeps us all going.”