Cash assistance in Ukraine provides a crucial lifeline for displaced people in vulnerable situations

76-year-old Liubov from Dobropillia, Donetsk region, never imagined she would have to leave her home because of war. In June 2025 Liubov was evacuated by humanitarian volunteers as the security situation in her hometown deteriorated sharply.

“It became impossible to stay,” she recalls. “Every night we had to run to the basement. During the day, it was dangerous to even walk outside.”

Liubov’s home in Dobropillia has been severely damaged, like many others in the area. “There are no windows, no doors. I don’t know what is left there now,” she says.

After leaving Dobropillia, Liubov first arrived in a transit center in Pavlohrad in Dnipropetrovsk region in Eastern Ukraine, where she and other evacuees were registered and received initial support. To cater to her needs for specialized care, she was then relocated to a crisis social services centre in Khmelnytskyi in central Ukraine that assists and provides accommodation to people who are left alone in difficult life circumstances, including vulnerable internally displaced people with disabilities.

“I am very happy to be here. People treat us very well. I was afraid to evacuate, but here I feel safe,” says Liubov. “I don’t have to pay for living here, which is a big financial relief.”

Like many older people displaced by the war, Liubov relies on her modest pension and humanitarian assistance. She receives around 4,600 UAH (approximately 100 USD) per month, which is not enough to cover her basic expenses. Cash assistance from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, helps bridge this gap.

As the war continues to disrupt lives and livelihoods across Ukraine, cash assistance has become one of the most effective ways to support people in crisis. It gives families the flexibility to decide what they need most—be it medicine, food, transportation, rent, or winter essentials – and at the same time, it supports the local economy.

In Ukraine, UNHCR is operating its largest cash assistance programme in the world, having delivered over US$ 742 million in cash assistance to some 2.5 million people since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. This has been possible thanks to our steadfast donors, including Finland.

For Liubov in Khmelnytskyi, the cash assistance has been a crucial lifeline to make ends meet in displacement. It enables her to cover her needs, particularly her medical expenses.

“A lot of money goes to medicine. At this age, it is unavoidable. I need to buy medicine every week, and it costs a lot,” she says.