Newsletter Newsletters Events Events Podcasts Videos Africanews
Loader
Advertisement

Temporary shelters, generators sent to Ukraine ahead of winter but 'much more needed', EU says

A view of a destroyed railway bridge over Siverskiy Donets river near Raigorodka, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, on April 30, 2022.
A view of a destroyed railway bridge over Siverskiy Donets river near Raigorodka, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, on April 30, 2022. Copyright  AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka
Copyright AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka
By Euronews
Published on Updated
Share this article Comments
Share this article Close Button
Copy/paste the article video embed link below: Copy to clipboard Copied

Temporary shelters and generators are being sent to Ukraine ahead of winter but much more is needed, the European Commission said.

ADVERTISEMENT

The European Union has now provided more than €1 billion in humanitarian aid to Ukraine with efforts now focused on preparing for winter, the EU's Commissioner for Crisis Management said on Thursday.

Speaking from the EU Emergency Response Coordination Centre in Brussels, Janez Lenarčič said that in the nine months since Russia launched the war, the bloc has "provided Ukraine with humanitarian and civil protection assistance in a combined value of around €1 billion."

"We have prioritised winterisation already months ago," Lenarčič added, with hundreds of shelter units already deployed across the county.

The country's energy needs are also being prioritised, especially as Russia has stepped up strikes against civilian infrastructure.

According to the United Nations, Russian missile attacks against Ukrainian critical infrastructure have left millions of people without electricity, water or heating in at least 16 of the country’s 24 regions, and in the capital Kyiv.

In recently-liberated Kherson, people have not had water and electricity for over two weeks, while markets are running low on food, most shops are empty, and pharmacies and health facilities have no medicines, the UN said this week. 

The EU has provided 500 generators through its Civil Protection Mechanism with another 300 funded through humanitarian aid. Repair kits to mend damage on electricity grids were also provided.

"But of course, much more is needed in view of the damage that is being done," Lenarčič stressed. 

Most of this aid is being funnelled through three hubs in neighbouring Poland, Slovakia and Romania, which are also being urged to prepare for possible waves of refugees over the winter.

Go to accessibility shortcuts
Share this article Comments

Read more

Residents of newly-liberated Kherson brace for harsh winter

Will the EU be ready to defend itself by 2030? Newsletter

Ukraine faces difficult winter amid Russian strikes on energy grid, EBRD chief warns