Washington, DC – The US, through USAID, is providing an additional $25 million to support vulnerable people in Ukraine during winter, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced today. The Ambassador was visiting a collective center in Irpin, where conflict-affected internally displaced persons, including older persons and other vulnerable groups, are sheltering.
The ongoing assault on critical infrastructure and housing by Russian forces in Ukraine has undermined the civilian population’s ability to survive the harsh winter temperatures. Humanitarian needs are expected to increase, particularly among those living in damaged housing or who have fled due to conflict.
With these new funds, the United States will expand upon its existing winterization planning and response efforts, scaling up assistance to nearly 75,000 of the most affected households, primarily in eastern Ukraine, where Putin’s unprovoked invasion has destroyed infrastructure and essential services. USAID’s partner, the International Organization for Migration, will surge additional humanitarian assistance to help vulnerable Ukrainians survive the winter, including multi-purpose cash assistance, shelter support, and water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance, with more help on the way in the coming months.
This additional support follows USAID Administrator Samantha Power’s announcement of a $55 million investment in Ukraine’s heating infrastructure in Kyiv during her visit in early October, as well as $216 million in winterization-specific humanitarian assistance, bringing USAID’s total contribution to winterization assistance to date to approximately $271 million. USAID and its humanitarian partners continue to rapidly scale up winterization assistance to at-risk populations in Ukraine, including the provision of winter-specific household items, thermal blankets, and warm clothing, as well as essential heating appliances and fuel supplies to address the immediate and long-term needs of vulnerable households.
