The Russian attacks during the coldest time of the year have taken their toll on the civilian population in Ukraine

The attacks on critical infrastructure reported by our television channels do not begin to describe the long-term consequences that the civilian population will have to cope with in the coming period.

ISHR members in Kyiv took to Telegram and other channels to express their despair at not knowing how to prepare a hot meal for their young children in temperatures of minus 20 degrees and below, with no electricity or water. Nerves were frayed among families with young children who had run out of nappies. People could not sleep because they did not know where the next drone would strike.

Every trip out into the freezing cold to try and buy something, only to find it wasn’t available because the lorries hadn’t reached the shops, sapped a little of our confidence. What had been managed in Kyiv and other major cities through the efforts of civilian organizations and the solidarity of the population – by containing the damage – was lacking in the villages near the border. For days on end, they were inaccessible to aid workers.

Anton Alekseyev, head of the ISHR Ukraine section, reports that he and his supporters have resumed the parcel aid program. “March is one of the coldest months in Ukraine; there will continue to be power cuts. In the villages, we can bring light into the darkness with battery-powered lamps and help people to cook using small generators. Due to the Russian attacks, the supply chain has been disrupted in many places, and there is a shortage of hygiene products, medicines and medical supplies such as plasters and bandages in particular. And this is also the reality: you get less for the same money now. But the poor are not to blame for that. We hope that you will support us,” wrote Alekseyev via Telegram. Every month, the ISHR sends money to the ISHR office in Kyiv so that essential items can be purchased locally. Meanwhile, hard-working volunteers in Frankfurt and other locations continue to pack parcels worth 30 euros each, which are transported to a central warehouse in Ukraine, from where they are collected and taken directly to the recipients. Please continue to help us.