Here, people can receive hot food and drinks, charge their mobile phones, access the internet and receive psychosocial support.
Maxym Dotsenko
Director General of the Ukrainian Red Cross
The coldest winter in a decade – in a country without power
The Ukrainian Red Cross provides warmth, food and care at one of its heating centres in Kyiv.
Large parts of Ukraine are experiencing extreme cold. Temperatures dropping to as low as –20 degrees Celsius are putting lives at risk. Yet through heating centres, churches and home visits, people are receiving vital assistance.
– The situation in Ukraine is extremely critical. Schools are closed, and people are left without heating, electricity and water. Our partners are doing everything they can to ensure that people have somewhere to keep warm and receive a hot meal, but the situation is very demanding, says Gunn Jorid Roset, Director General of Norad.
As of 21 January, 4,000 apartment blocks in Kyiv are without heating, and indoor temperatures range between 5 and 10 degrees. Families are heating stones and bricks on gas stoves and charcoal grills to get some warmth in their apartments.
Young people in Kyiv receive food at one of the Ukrainian Red Cross heating centres.
To reach as many people as possible, authorities and organisations are working closely together. In Kyiv, the Ukrainian State Emergency Service has so far established 90 mobile heating centres. The Ukrainian Red Cross is a key partner in this effort, providing hot meals and equipment such as generators, tables, chairs and lighting.
The Ukrainian Red Cross has mobilised more than 250 volunteers who are working to ensure that people can access assistance.
– While major damage to power plants and heating systems is being repaired, we have established heating centres together with the authorities, says Maxym Dotsenko, Director General of the Ukrainian Red Cross.
Many residents of Kyiv live in high-rise apartment blocks. Not everyone is able to walk up and down the stairs from upper floors to collect water or reach heating centres. Red Cross volunteers therefore make home visits, distribute hygiene kits and follow up with those who live alone and have no support network.
Dotsenko also explains that the Red Cross is helping to evacuate vulnerable groups such as older people and persons with disabilities.
Churches filled with activities for children
Ukrainians are using the resources they have to help one another. In the Greek Catholic Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv, the organisation Caritas has established a shelter where people can stay overnight. During the daytime, activities for children are organised, as schools are closed due to power shortages and low temperatures.
When the power fails and the cold sets in, churches open their doors to the local population.
Support for families and elderly
In the village of Rohan in the Kharkiv region, aid workers from Caritas are helping residents heat their homes. Social worker Igor Nikonenko and driver Chmal Konstantin assist with loading firewood. Many older people live in the area, and Igor ensures they have heating in their homes.
– The situation in the Kharkiv region remains difficult. Due to hostilities, power outages and economic challenges, it is becoming increasingly hard for people to keep their homes warm, especially during the cold season, says Igor, before adding:
– For most people, assistance in the form of firewood for the winter is not just support, it is a form of rescue.
Igor Nikonenko and Chmal Konstantin load firewood in the village of Rohan in the Kharkiv region.
Power workers on the front line
Large parts of Ukraine’s power and heating supply are currently out of operation as a result of Russian attacks. In November, Norad Director General Gunn Jorid Roset visited a power plant that has been repeatedly hit by drones and missiles.
– The workers at the power plant are putting their own lives at risk to ensure that water and heating reach the population. It was deeply moving to see how they continue to show up for work every day in order to supply Ukraine with life-saving electricity and heat, says Roset.
Power plants are targets of Russian attacks. The image shows a crater left by a missile strike at a power plant visited by Roset in November.
Norway – a key partner through the winter
– We know that winter is challenging in Ukraine and therefore plan for it well in advance. At the same time, it is important to stress that this is the most demanding winter since the full-scale invasion nearly four years ago, says Jorun Nossum, Director of The Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine at Norad.
Last summer, the UN launched its plans for the coming winter, with Norway’s contribution playing a central role.
The UN’s winter appeal for this season identified a need of NOK 2.8 billion for Ukraine. Norway is contributing nearly NOK 400 million.
Lack of electricity and heating affects all aspects of society, including healthcare services and food production. Therefore, Norway supports a comprehensive and coordinated response.
Norad Director Gunn Jorid Roset (left) and Director of the Nansen Support Programme, Jorun Nossum, during their visit to Ukraine in November 2025.
Norway is supporting Ukraine through the winter by helping to rebuild damaged energy infrastructure, purchasing gas and providing firewood, as well as delivering emergency assistance to those in need.
Through The Nansen Support Programme, Norway has supported Ukraine’s energy sector with NOK 11.7 billion and provided NOK 11.4 billion in humanitarian assistance since 2022, up to and including 2025.
In November, Norway disbursed NOK 465 million to organisations in Ukraine to strengthen winter response efforts.
Read more about Norwegian support: Norwegian Support to Ukraine and Neighbouring Countries | Norad.no