Responding to airstrikes in Ukraine: UNHCR helps with quick repairs to damaged homes and support to heal mental scars
Responding to airstrikes in Ukraine: UNHCR helps with quick repairs to damaged homes and support to heal mental scars
Having survived the Russian missile attack in January this year, Nadiia’s mental health is still severely impacted.
23 January 2025 was the day that Nadiia had a second chance at life. The 70-year-old woman was at home with her husband, daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter when, in an instant, the world around her collapsed.
A massive Russian attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia in southeast Ukraine impacted the entire neighborhood, causing over 50 civilian casualties. Lying in her bed, Nadiia heard a huge explosion: “Then I saw a ball of fire flying inside and shattering glass.”
Nadiia was covered in the shattered glass, and her daughter suffered a leg wound from the destruction of the blast. With all power knocked out, it was nearly impossible to grasp what was happening. Paramedics arrived swiftly, but in the confusion, Nadiia’s husband lost track of her. He searched desperately, not knowing which ambulance had taken her away. Fortunately, Nadiia and all of her family survived and were later reunited.
Months later, Nadiia sits on the same bed where she lay that night, staring out of the same window – but now covered with a wooden board, provided by UNHCR and its NGO partners. This was part of an emergency shelter kit that helped her family secure their home after the attack and the consequent damage.
And this was possible thanks to flexible funding, provided to UNHCR by private and government donors, which proves a crucial lifeline at the start of each year while UNHCR Ukraine – like many other operations across the world – wait for contributions from donors to fund our programmes and response.
In Ukraine, the war – and the critical and urgent needs it creates – sadly don’t pause. UNHCR and its partners are constantly called on by the local authorities and communities to deliver vital assistance after attacks, such as emergency shelter kits which help affected families quickly seal broken windows, damaged doors as well as holes in roofs and walls, allowing them to remain in their homes. With the provided materials – tarpaulin, wooden boards, nails, plastic sheets and foam – people can protect their homes from the cold, rain and snow and avoid further damage and deterioration until more advanced repairs can take place.
“It was exactly what we needed at that time – wooden boards, plastic film, and blankets. And the most important thing was the smile I saw. You do not see anything, do not remember or realize what happened, and then suddenly you see a smile. It means that you are alive, and you are grateful to everyone for that,” Nadiia said.
While the physical damages to her apartment could be fixed relatively quickly, Nadiia’s mental scars are another story.
UNHCR’s local NGO partner Proliska provided her with psychosocial first-aid in the wake of the attack – which is also part of UNHCR’s emergency response – but the road to full recovery remains long, as the Russian full-scale invasion continues on a daily basis, exposing Ukrainians to daily attacks leading to loss, family separations, anxiety and uncertainty.
Every time the air raid sounds, which happens in Zaporizhzhia dozens of times a day, Nadiia is on high alert, listening to the noises outside and looking to her window, fearing another missile coming through it.
“In Ukraine, where aerial attacks have increased over the past year and the situation remains very volatile, and nobody knows where the next attack will hit, we have to be agile and respond when and where it is needed the most. Our ability to respond swiftly is due to the strong support of our donors, and flexible funding is really keeping our response predictable and efficient at the start of the year. Flexible funding ensures we have the capacity to provide much-needed humanitarian assistance in a timely manner,” says Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR’s Representative in Ukraine.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, over 425,000 people have received emergency shelter materials from UNHCR and its NGO partners. Over 273,000 war-affected people were provided with psychosocial support, including directly after attacks or following evacuations from the frontline areas.
UNHCR is generously supported by the following top flexible donors: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Republic of Korea, Australia, Ireland, Germany and Belgium.
