Témoignages

Ihor lives in the village of Pervomaiske, roughly 400km south of Kyiv. Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he found himself at the centre of intense fighting. In 2022 the frontline dissected his neighbourhood, with fighting in the streets.

Today, 2 years after the start of the full-scale war and 15 months since the liberation of Kherson, the city’s new reality is much more grim.

With the start of Russia's full-scale war on Ukraine, Andriy and his fellow firefighters found themselves on their own battlefield. Every day, they fight for the people whose homes have been destroyed by Russian troops.

The war in Ukraine has spiralled into a fully-fledged humanitarian catastrophe.

Forced to flee her home in Mykolaiv, Lyudmilla and her 7-year-old daughter Irina found refuge in Moldova. Despite the warm welcome they received, she longs to one day return to Ukraine.

Our colleague Marcin is in Poland, coordinating assistance for Ukraine arriving from all over Europe.

The war raging in Ukraine since 24 February has already forced more than 12 million people to leave their homes. Zina is one of them. As she was taking shelter in Kharkiv metro station, she helped the kids hiding from the war with toys and educational materials provided by EU humanitarian aid.

On this World Humanitarian Day, we want to introduce the driving force behind EU humanitarian operations – the people.

The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine started on 24 February and has since spiralled into a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe.

EU humanitarian experts on the ground ensure that emergency assistance goes where it is most needed.

“Education and schools are very important now. It's the future of our country,” says 15-year-old Daryna.

“One day, they came and pulled me out of the basement. 4 hefty guys, well-armed, positioned me in front of the house with rifles and began interrogating me.”

In response to Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine in February, the European Commission is running its largest-ever operation under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.