The continued destruction of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure by the Russians has made this winter one of the harshest in many years for locals, with temperatures regularly falling below –20°C. Across Ukraine, many residents are living without reliable electricity, heating, or even water.

 

The head of one of the Kharkiv NGOs supported by NFFU shared this update earlier this month:

“It’s cold, and there is no regular power at all”. Yesterday, for example, we had no electricity all day. Last week, it was switched on at 1:00 a.m. and turned off again at 4:00 a.m. Now, it hasn’t been turned on at all. Not only are the lights out and homes freezing, but it is incredibly cold outside. We haven’t seen such frost in many years.”

Despite these relentless conditions, the volunteers within these NGOs continue their work without hesitation. They remain committed to supporting those who are even less fortunate than themselves.  For many of them, helping others is no longer just voluntary work, it has become their way of life.

 

Rob Peacock is just such a volunteer.  Rob explained ‘When the full-scale war started, I just knew that I wanted to volunteer in support of the relief effort. Within three weeks, I had left the UK to travel to Poland to help Ukrainian refugees to relocate to EU countries. By March 2023, I was volunteering in Kharkiv in Eastern Ukraine, just 15 miles from the Russian border. Since then, I have continued to volunteer in Kharkiv, supporting people in need throughout the region.”

 

“Totally self-funded, I help to provide essential items for people in real need, many of whom are internally displaced, having lost their homes. These items include food, medicines, special items which are required for disabled children, wheelchairs, walking frames, adult incontinence briefs and pads, personal hygiene items, toilet paper, babies’ nappies, baby food, cleaning products, pet food, and generators.”

 

When asked how the Ukrainians he works with are surviving the freeze amid an ongoing war, Rob relayed the situation of one  Kharkiv family. 

 

“I look after two mothers with severely disabled children that need round-the-clock care. One of the mothers has said to me this month - ‘We're doing well for now, although the overall situation is dire. The power is out for up to 20 hours a day, sometimes even longer. We're managing it for now, we have rechargeable light bulbs, and I have a small battery. Thank God we have heat, but in many parts of the city there's no heat at all. That's the worst thing for me, because my child will freeze. This year we've had a real winter with snow and frosts; there were temperatures below -15 degrees Celsius; we haven't had winters like that in a long time. It's really scary when they bomb us, and it's hard on me emotionally too, since I also have my young child.’”

 

It has been four years since Russia invaded, and Rob reflected on how the Ukrainians he knows might be feeling on Feb 24th on the 4th year anniversary of the war conducted against them.

 

“I support four local NGOs in Kharkiv and, without exception, all the Ukrainian volunteers with these organisations are tired and exhausted by the daily attacks. And now, along with almost everyone else in the city, they are deprived of electricity, heating and water for most of the day every day during the harshest winter of the full-scale war.  This cold is not like anything you might feel in the UK. It’s biting, it hurts, and it's ongoing until spring arrives.”

 

We do know Ukrainians are resilient people, for even after four years they continue to support each other and give to those who are in more need.  People who have lost their homes, elderly and disabled people, mothers and babies, children and low income families. 

 

Fortunately they are supported by British volunteers like Rob, who admits ‘I’ve now got Ukraine in my DNA’.  He is still fully committed, and despite this big freeze, is not giving up any time soon.