Throughout 2025, fighting in Ukraine's frontline areas remained intense, and the humanitarian impact on civilians continued to grow. Heavy shelling caused new waves of displacement, while increased attacks on energy infrastructure left millions facing winter without reliable electricity, heating, or water. Funding shortages further constrained the response and threatened the continuity of essential services.
Despite these challenges, we continued to adapt and respond - working across emergency response, winterisation, and recovery to ensure support reached people when and where it was needed most.
Our teams acted quickly to support evacuees, providing rapid registration and financial assistance to help people reach safer locations. At the same time, we delivered emergency assistance to people living close to the front line. Due to the increased use of FPV drones, delivering assistance became significantly more complex. Even under these conditions, we remained one of the country's largest providers o f winter support, delivering fuel briquettes and heating assistance to households facing the coldest months of the year.
We continued t o restore and strengthen critical infrastructure. We supported water and heating utilities with new equipment, boilers, and renewable energy solutions, enabling uninterrupted access to essential services for communities. In 2025, we piloted the first combined solar and wind energy unit i n the humanitarian sector, helping ensure a stable energy supply across seasons. We also remained one o f the few humanitarian actors supporting district heating systems, while launching solid waste management and recycling activities to reduce environmental impact and promote sustainable recovery.
In education, we supported children affected by prolonged disruption by creating temporary learning spaces and catch-up classes to address learning loss. We also introduced new initiatives, including preparation for the National Multidisciplinary Test, as many students face significant barriers to passing the exams without additional support. In addition, we developed and delivered courses o n inclusive education and media literacy for teachers.
Alongside emergency response, we continued to invest in Ukraine's recovery. We provided grants for community-based initiatives that help communities prepare for winter and strengthen local resilience. Veterans and their families received tailored support to start or expand businesses through grants, training, and mentoring. In Dnipro, we launched a new programme combining trauma-informed mental health support with livelihood and entrepreneurship assistance, linking counselling with peer support, business mentoring, and community engagement. We also supported small and medium-sized businesses affected by shelling, as well as employers working to improve conditions for vulnerable groups-contributing to economic recovery and social cohesion.
This newsletter reflects the work of our entire team across Ukraine. Behind every number are real people and real lives. Improving well-being, restoring dignity, and supporting recovery remain at the core of our mission -and despite all challenges, we continue to stand with communities across Ukraine.
"Our hospital provides secondary specialised care to around 25,000 people. We have both therapeutic and surgical departments, and thanks to the installed solar power plant, we can operate autonomously during power outages. Even when the electricity supply is stable, it helps us save energy and cover part of our needs through our own production. We are also seeing a rise in coronavirus infections. Electricity means oxygen — and oxygen means life." Iryna Hramatyk, Director of the Putivl City Hospital
"In 2022, we fled Mariupol and found refuge in Dnipro. A missile struck our building, but by a miracle, we survived. Our home was left standing, though the balcony windows were blown out. I live with my two children, and there came a moment when w e simply had n o money to pay the rent. Asking for help was incredibly hard, but I had no other choice. Thanks to the financial assistance we received, we were able to stay in our home and did not have to face displacement once again." Maryna Lieshchenko, IDP from Donetsk Oblast
