Winter on the front line: UNHCR’s cash assistance helps people buy firewood and heat homes
Winter on the front line: UNHCR’s cash assistance helps people buy firewood and heat homes
Fedir received winter cash assistance from UNHCR and purchased enough wood for winter.
Checking the neatly stacked firewood in his yard, Fedir allows himself a small smile. The delivery arrived at the end of November, just in time for the cold season in Ukraine — the fourth winter since the full-scale war began.
Fedir, 68, lives alone in the town of Hlukhiv, Sumy region, after losing his wife to a terminal illness. From his home, it is only ten kilometres to the Russian border. There is no active frontline here, but the proximity brings daily risks and regular shelling, prompting the authorities to introduce a mandatory evacuation order in 2024.
Since then, about one-third of the town’s 30,000 pre-war residents have left. But many, especially older people like Fedir, remain — hoping that the war will spare their homes and the lives they have built here.
“The war made it much more difficult for older people, like me, to make ends meet. Of course, the entire country suffers from it. But here, close to the border, we live in a very different world. At the beginning of the invasion, the town was encircled by the Russian troops. And although they were pushed back, the threat is always there,” Fedir says.
Ahead of winter, Fedir received winter cash assistance from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and was able to buy firewood which he uses to heat his house during cold months. With energy infrastructure across the country being continuously targeted, many communities endure long hours without electricity.
For people, like Fedir, being able to use a wood heater and keep their houses warm brings relief and certainty.
In rural areas of Ukraine, firewood is one of the primary and most reliable ways to heat homes during winter.
“Without this assistance, I would not be able to buy firewood this winter. My pension is very small, and I live by myself trying to manage my house which often requires repairs, especially during the cold season. It’s not just about buying the wood – you also need to pay for someone to properly cut it and stack it,” Fedir shared.
UNHCR provides winter cash support to people in frontline and border areas of Ukraine to help them cover their needs – from purchasing solid fuel for heating to buying warm clothes. This is possible thanks to the strong and timely support from government and private donors, including the generous contributions from the United Kingdom and its Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which remains amongst the top donors to UNHCR’s Ukraine operation.
The distribution of winter aid is carried out in close collaboration with the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity, the Pension Fund of Ukraine, as well as regional authorities, and complements government-led efforts to meet the needs of the most vulnerable displaced and war-affected people as they face yet another harsh winter.
“Keeping homes warm during winter is the most crucial thing. UNHCR’s support is not just about the financial assistance. It is a contribution to ensure well-being and comfort for thousands of families in our community. This helps them not feel left behind, because during such difficult times it is easier to find solutions together,” Marianna Vasylieva, Deputy Head of the Hlukhiv community said.
So far this winter, UNHCR has supported more than 145,000 people with winter cash assistance. Post-distribution monitoring from the 2024–2025 winter response shows that people receiving this support consistently view it as the most useful form of aid. Nearly 90 per cent reported using the cash to purchase solid fuel, such as firewood, to heat their homes.
