Useful information for people affected by the conflict in Ukraine

Current situation is incredibly dangerous and distressing for lots of people in Ukraine and their loved ones. You are not alone. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Ukrainian Red Cross Society and other partners are doing their best to help you.

Due to the conflict escalation in Ukraine, millions of people have left their homes and crossed into neighbouring countries. The Ukrainian Red Cross is helping people affected by the conflict as the security situation allows. National Societies in surrounding countries, with support from IFRC, are assisting people leaving Ukraine with shelter, basic aid items and medical supplies. People from Ukraine will need long-term, ongoing support. Our priority is addressing the humanitarian needs of all people affected by the conflict, inside and outside Ukraine.

This page will be updated frequently as the crisis evolves. 

If you have an unstable internet connection, you can download this information now and see it offline later.

We are currently receiving a large number of calls from many people that are being affected by the conflict. You may have to leave a message. We are doing our best to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

You can contact the Ukrainian Red Cross Society from anywhere in the country: 0 800 331 800.

To contact the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the country:

• Kyiv 0 800 300 155
• Slaviansk 0 800 300 115
• Severodonetsk 0 800 300 125
• Mariupol 0 800 300 165
• Donestsk 0 800 300 185
• Luhansk 0 800 300 195

If you are not in Ukraine and need information, you can call our hotline +41 22 730 36 00 (English) or send us an email at inquiries@icrc.org

In Russia, you can contact the Russian Red Cross for questions about humanitarian assistance for migrants, legal residence status, and access to medical services. You can call 8 800 600 73 72 or email migration@redcross.ru

We are working to deliver urgent medical items to Kyiv hospitals. For the past eight years, we have been providing emergency assistance such as food, water, and other essential items.

We also support hospitals and primary healthcare facilities with medical equipment and emergency preparedness. We repair water stations and support households to rehabilitate their damaged homes. We also help families separated by the conflict reconnect.

However, given the hostilities, we are not able to move needed supplies because of blocked roads and insecurity. This is an extremely dangerous time for families caught in the fighting, and a dangerous time for aid organizations too. As soon as we do move aid in, the top priorities will be medical supplies and shelter material (tarpaulin, blankets…).

We understand the fear and uncertainty you might be feeling about what the future holds. Unfortunately, we currently don’t have any program or capacity to provide individuals and families with transportation or resources for leaving the country.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has hotline numbers for people leaving Ukraine. You can learn more about IOM services here.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has information and guidance in neighbouring countries such as Poland, Hungary, Moldova and Romania. You can find more information here.

In Russia, you can contact the Russian Red Cross for questions about humanitarian assistance for migrants, legal residence status, and access to medical services. You can call 8 800 600 73 72 or email migration@redcross.ru

These are some preventive measures you can take when leaving your home to find shelter elsewhere:

• Your personal documents: In a secure and protective bag keep a copy of your national identity card, passport, family certificates, birth certificate, insurance documents, property documents, etc.
• Make sure children know their personal information such as their full names, parents’ names, and parents’ contacts.

We work with the Ukrainian Red Cross Society to restore and maintain contact between family members who have been separated by conflict. We also try to help establish the fate and whereabouts of people reported missing.

Nevertheless, due to the security situation, our ability to respond to the needs of families separated as a result of the ongoing hostilities is limited. If you are living outside of Ukraine, please approach the nearest Red Cross Society or ICRC office. You can find their address and contact details on the Family Links website.

In Russia, please contact the Russian Red Cross at 8 800 700 44 50 and rfl@redcross.ru.

We are very sorry to know that you are experiencing distress and that it’s been difficult to cope with the crisis. For the moment, given the security situation, we are unable to provide mental health support directly.

Our partners of the Ukrainian Red Cross are doing their best to provide psychosocial support. Their hotline is 0 800 331 800. They are currently receiving a large number of calls. Thank you for your patience.

We can encourage you to follow these prevention recommendations while you get the direct support your need:
• Acknowledge your own feelings: Accept the level of distress or uncertainty you and those around you may feel at the moment.
• Be mindful of your news consumption: Being overexposed to news may be repetitively triggering you.
• Find hope in what you can do: There’s a lot that you cannot control, but positive action can be an outlet to your feelings. Whether by helping or being kind to others, every act of kindness is significant.
• Reach out for help: Be kind enough to yourself to reach out for professional help if your feelings of worry start to impact your daily life, especially if you felt vulnerable prior to the crisis.

In Russia, the Russian Red Cross has this hotline for psychosocial support: 8 800 250-18-59.

• If there’s a basement, immediately go there. Stay in a safe zone on lower ground with protective walls.
• Stay as far as possible from windows.
• Wait until the shooting is over before you move to a safer shelter.
• Don’t pick up anything you haven’t dropped yourself. During conflict, things that may look harmless could potentially be explosive objects. Stay away from unattended objects that do not belong to you.

The emergency line in Ukraine is 112.

If someone is injured, here is what you can do to assist with first aid while more help arrives:

• Using a clean piece of cloth: Ask the injured person, or proceed yourself, to press directly with the cloth on the wound.
• Swap out physical pressure with a compressive bandage and wrap it around the wound.
• If you notice any of the following signs, loosen the bandage immediately: Any swelling or cyanosis (skin going blue) around the wound. You must loosen the band.
• If blood continues to leak through the bandage: Roll an additional bandage or clean cloth over the first bandage you applied.

If you are trying to find shelter in Ukraine or in neighbouring countries such as Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Slovakia, Poland, Russia or Belarus, our partners of the national Red Cross are preparing to support you.

Volunteers and staff of the Red Cross are preparing to provide shelter, basic aid items, and medical supplies for displaced people. They are also ready to provide first aid and psychosocial support when needed. You can find specific contact information in this directory.

It is very important for us to hear your feedback about the work we are doing. We invite you to use the communication channel more convenient for you to do so.

You can call or leave us a message at 0 800 300 155 or you can send us a private message on our Ukrainian Facebook page.

We understand that you may feel overwhelmed by all the information you’re receiving and that it may be difficult to distinguish facts from false information. When in doubt, we invite you to verify the sources of that information before sharing it with others.

If you saw something in the news that looked suspicious about the services the red cross is providing during the current crisis in Ukraine, please alert us by tagging us in a comment with @ICRC on Twitter. We are doing our best to read and respond to incoming comments.

How to Donate

Despite the difficult security conditions, our teams are working around the clock to help as many people as possible. Please remember all our services are free of charge.

To Donate, just click below.