AMID “relentless” Russian assaults and “immense” destruction, one of the largest humanitarian operators in Ukraine has said support from donors – including funding from Jersey – is helping those affected by the war to know they are “not forgotten”.
Ukrainian United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees spokesperson Iryna Tymchyshyn highlighted the importance of continued support “no matter how big or how small the contribution is”.
As the war enters its fifth year, International Development Minister Carolyn Labey has stated that Jersey “continues to stand in solidarity” with those affected.
A Bailiff’s Appeal launched following the Russian invasion raised £4.5 million through public donations, government support and Jersey Overseas Aid’s own humanitarian budget.
This has helped support the work of UNHCR and other humanitarian agencies providing life-saving assistance in the region.
Ms Tymchyshyn – who is based in Kyiv has been to frontline areas – said the situation had become “much, much worse in terms of relentless Russian attacks”, noting that 2025 was the deadliest year for civilians since the start of the full-scale war.
She continued: “Our colleagues in the OHCHR reported over 2,500 civilians that were killed during the last year.”
Ms Tymchyshyn also noted that “last winter was really the most difficult winter of the war so far”.
“Millions of people didn’t have electricity or heating for weeks in a row, and it coincided with extreme weather conditions when temperatures outside brought a drop to minus 20 sometimes,” she explained.
“It was an extremely difficult time and it’s exacerbated the humanitarian needs very much.”
The UNHCR’s work has included helping to repair almost 55,000 homes as well as providing emergency shelter support after attacks in frontline and heavily affected regions, with more than half a million people assisted with emergency shelter kits and materials.
It has also provided cash assistance to more than 2.4 million people, including through a programme that helps vulnerable families cover energy needs during winter as well as evacuees or families whose homes have been impacted by air strikes.
Other forms of aid include the provision of home insulation kits, generators and portable power stations as well as legal counselling and psychosocial support.
Ms Tymchyshyn said: “The Government of Jersey and people of Jersey have been supporting UNHCR’s programmes for several years now, both through funding, but also supporting the junior professional programmes.
“No matter how big or how small the contribution is, especially in times when the entire humanitarian system is facing the decrease of funding from traditional donors, from some big donors, it’s extremely important to preserve this support.”
She cited the efforts of Leila Osman, Jersey’s fourth United Nations junior professional officer, who is currently based in Kyiv.
Ms Tymchyshyn reiterated that “the needs, unfortunately, are not decreasing and the scale of destruction and the scale of human suffering remains immense”.
“So indeed, at UNHCR we are extremely grateful for the support that we receive from our donors, including Jersey,” she said.
“You can see from every visit, where we meet people who are affected by this war, we hear from them that they’re extremely grateful for this support and they just say that we are grateful to know that we are not forgotten and that we are not alone in this.”
