Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine started three years ago on 24 February 2022. The war has triggered the largest, longest running, and most complex operation of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) since its creation in 2001.
When an emergency hits, any country can request assistance through the UCPM. All EU Member States and six further countries participating in the Mechanism – Iceland, Moldova, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Türkiye – have offered assistance to Ukraine. The country itself joined the UCPM as a participating State in April 2023.
To date, almost 154 000 tonnes of in-kind assistance have been channelled to Ukraine, including, fire trucks, ambulances, transport vehicles, power generators, pumps, mobile hospitals and medical supplies, protective equipment, communication items, etc.
A specific UCPM focus is the support to the Ukrainian energy sector, which suffers widespread destruction because of Russia’s systematic targeting of the energy infrastructure.
For an extra layer of crisis support, the EU has also deployed its own rescEU emergency stockpiles to Ukraine, sending power generators, medical equipment, temporary shelter, water treatment stations, and specialised equipment for public health risks such as chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats.
In parallel, over 4 000 patients from Ukraine have benefitted from medical evacuations to hospitals in 22 EU Member States and Norway since 2022.
Cooperation with the private sector and third countries has been stepped up to complement the assistance.
Ukraine is an active member of the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network, which enhances cooperation between national civil protection authorities. It connects first responders, disaster risk managers, scientists, and decision-makers, and matches their needs for expertise and good practices with methodologies, tools, solutions, and resources.
EU assistance beyond civil protection
In addition to civil protection measures, the EU and its Member States have mobilised over EUR 3.7 billion in humanitarian assistance for Ukraine since February 2022, helping mainly with food, water, sanitation and hygiene, health care, essential household items, shelter, and education in emergencies.
An estimated 12.7 million people need humanitarian assistance across Ukraine in 2025, almost 36 percent of the population living in the country. Around 3.7 million are internally displaced. Over 6.8 million Ukrainians have fled the country.
The European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, Hadja Lahbib, visited Ukraine in January 2025. She said: “We will continue to do everything in our power to help those affected by this crisis with all our partners and the Ukrainian authorities. This war is a threat to all of us. We must stand together at this critical moment for Europe.”
In total, EU support to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression amounts to almost EUR 134 billion. It includes Team Europe support to Ukraine’s overall economic, social, and financial resilience, as well as military assistance measures.