The Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24th February has caused the fastest and largest displacement of people in Europe since World War II. 10 million people have been forcibly displaced, more than 1,000 civilians are believed to have been killed, and attacks have taken place on civilian infrastructure including hospitals, schools and places of shelter.

We unequivocally condemn unprovoked violence affecting innocent civilians across Ukraine. We are proactively working with our 29 partners in the country, who describe fear, panic and disbelief, and are doing everything they can to protect themselves, their families and our vulnerable client groups. We are responding to the most urgent humanitarian needs within and beyond Jewish communities, and are prioritising the transfer of emergency funds to our partners.

In Ukraine, we are responding across the country:

• Providing cash transfers, food and medical equipment to existing partners and clients.
• Continuing homecare and providing psychological support to older and vulnerable people.
• Assisting our partners to evacuate vulnerable people where it is safe to do so.
• Working with the Ukrainian Embassy in the UK to provide over 40,000 emergency food packages.
• Organising a massive shipment of humanitarian relief items into the country for those who need it most, including food ration packs, hygiene equipment and medication.

In Poland and Moldova, we are:

• Helping our partners scale up their capacity to welcome refugees.
• Providing cash transfers, legal advice, food and shelter for displaced Ukrainians. 
• We have sent specialists from our Humanitarian and Refugee teams to Poland and Moldova to support our partners there in expanding their capacity to assist refugees fleeing Ukraine.

In the UK, we have offered the government our support and expertise in refugee employment, and have urged the Home Office to extend humanitarian visas to Ukrainians. 

• We are assessing how we can best use our expertise in Ukraine and with refugees to assist with the Government’s new ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme. 

The situation on the ground is constantly evolving. We will continue to update this page as the situation develops.