Ukraine

Since 2022, the war in Ukraine has displaced millions of people from their homes, severely damaged the health-care system, and created a protracted humanitarian crisis on a European scale.

A country in a state of emergency

Since the beginning of the war of aggression in February 2022, countless people have been forced to flee their homes. In many regions - particularly in frontline and border areas - there is an acute lack of medical care, skilled personnel, and medical equipment. Hospitals and health centers are either overburdened or damaged, while injuries, chronic illnesses, and psychological distress are increasing significantly. Children are especially affected, often suffering from psychological trauma, anxiety disorders, and developmental impairments.

Due to systematic attacks on energy, water, and healthcare infrastructure, many parts of the country continue to lack electricity and access to running drinking water. These supply shortages not only disrupt daily life but also pose a serious public health risk. Without clean water, the risk of diarrheal and infectious diseases increases, including cholera‑like outbreaks, particularly in emergency shelters and densely populated areas.

In numbers: The situation in Ukraine

  • More than 10.8 million people depend on humanitarian assistance
  • At least 3.7 million people are internally displaced within Ukraine
  • At least 5.9 million people have fled to neighboring countries and other European states
  • Over 2,800 attacks on Ukraine’s healthcare system have been documented since the start of the war; hospitals, health centers, ambulances, and medical warehouses have been directly or indirectly damaged or destroyed
  • According to estimates, around one quarter of the population - and a significantly higher share among children and people living in frontline areas - is at risk of developing long‑term mental health conditions, such as anxiety disorders, depression, or post‑traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Medicines, water, warmth - and a few rays of hope in the war

On February 22, 2022, just two days before the war escalated, action medeor received a call for help from a Ukrainian hospital that had run out of essential medicines. It was the start of our aid organization's largest relief operation to date. From the medicine warehouse in Tönisvorst, tons of vital medicines and medical equipment were brought to Ukraine, from mobile X-ray machines to entire ambulances. To this day, we supply around 200 hospitals throughout the country with essential medicines, especially for the care of chronically ill people.

In the south of Ukraine, action medeor has also launched various humanitarian projects in collaboration with various local partner organizations. In the region around the cities of Odessa, Mykolaiv and Kherson, we provide refugees, the elderly, sick and needy with free medicines, drinking water, hot meals, heating material for the winter and psychosocial support. We also use mobile teams to reach remote villages near the front line where there are no pharmacies. We organize play afternoons for the children and families there - giving them a few rays of hope in the middle of the war.

"The play afternoons are not just a children's program, but something very important happens: the children are allowed to just be children for a short period of time. They get their light-heartedness back for a moment. You can see it in their eyes how much they love it. And how much they need it."

Markus Bremers
Press spokesperson for action medeor

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Our work in Ukraine

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