In the context of a protracted full-scale war, Ukraine in 2025 focused on humanitarian responses to challenges. The state, together with civil society organisations and volunteers, mobilised resources to assist internally displaced persons, the healthcare system, education and culture. Official statistics show that there are approximately 4.6 million internally displaced persons in the country. All these people need support, so the government has continued to pay compensation and is looking for ways to solve the housing crisis. The Offline School programme and new social initiatives are designed to integrate displaced persons into the community, and the participation of volunteers has become an important factor in the resilience of society. Below is a detailed overview of the main areas of humanitarian activity in 2025.
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Assistance to displaced persons and social benefits
As of the end of 2025, according to the Ministry of Social Policy, approximately 4.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) were officially registered in Ukraine. Most refugees from the combat zone settled in the east of the country – in the Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions and the capital. The government is extending living assistance payments for the most vulnerable categories of IDPs for another six months, until February 2026. For people of retirement age, persons with disabilities and minors, the state has established monthly subsidies of UAH 2,000 per adult and UAH 3,000 per child or person with a disability. More than 2.7 million women and 1.8 million men who are displaced persons currently receive such payments. In the first half of 2025, the state rebuilt 398 new social apartments for IDPs, which is the largest-scale provision of housing for refugees during the entire war. At the same time, there is still a shortage of housing for displaced persons: of the 75,500 officially registered beds, more than 90% are occupied. To alleviate this crisis, the government will also launch special programmes – for example, from 1 December 2025, housing vouchers worth UAH 2 million will be issued to veterans and disabled persons among IDPs.
In addition to government initiatives, local charitable foundations and volunteer groups also provide active assistance to displaced persons. Volunteers collect and deliver humanitarian aid packages to refugees on a daily basis, assist evacuees, and provide legal and psychological counselling. Not all issues faced by displaced persons are resolved exclusively at the expense of the state: a significant role is played by the public sector and volunteers, who have established a network of assistance throughout the country. In partnership with government services, they have opened schools and support centres for refugees and restored the operation of warming centres and evacuation transport corridors.
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Medicine and healthcare
Due to the war, Ukraine’s healthcare system is operating under conditions of emergency mobilisation and continues to undergo reforms. IDPs have equal rights to medical care: the government guarantees them free treatment, surgery and medication under state programmes. All hospitals are required to accept displaced persons regardless of their place of registration, and the “Affordable Medicines” programme allows them to receive free prescription drugs. Recently, through “Diyu”, the submission of applications for housing vouchers has been introduced, and the Ministry of Health’s digital services automatically update patients’ declarations to their new place of residence. The Cabinet of Ministers has also approved a plan for the phased digitisation of medicine: in 2025, modern applications for online hospital ratings and patient notifications in Viber will be launched, and steps towards EU regulations will increase access to international pharmaceutical regimes.
Non-governmental medical centres and volunteer teams also provide support for the organisation of medical care. Before the war, some regions lacked specialised care, so the state trained nurses to care for the seriously wounded and opened more than 200 facilities for long-term nursing care for IDPs. The National Health Service of Ukraine has expanded its contracting with hospitals to make it easier for people to receive care where they live. Thanks to these efforts, Ukrainians affected by the fighting receive a full range of medical services, including diagnostics, rehabilitation, palliative care, and more. Legal resources remind us that during martial law, referrals are not required for either emergency or preventive medical care, and IDPs can consult family doctors and specialists in any region without bureaucracy. In this way, the state guarantees basic medical security and even launches psychological support programmes for the wounded and veterans in cooperation with NGOs and charitable foundations.
Education and integration of children
In 2025, the state decided to return displaced children to full-time schooling in their actual place of residence. From 1 September 2025, in all safe regions, students who were evacuated due to the war are required to study offline under the new rules of the “Offline School” programme. The Ministry of Education and Science explained that this will provide them with a better quality education, socialisation and teacher support. Parents, with the assistance of the school or the online portal “Dія”, can transfer their child to the nearest educational institution. At the same time, where the security situation does not allow for face-to-face learning, children are offered distance learning classes with an interactive approach. Special attention is also paid to the integration of IDP families: psychologists and social educators work in schools, and local communities organise camps and clubs for refugee children.
At the higher and vocational education level, there are programmes in place to enrol the best students from evacuated universities into higher education institutions without attestation. Many Ukrainian community initiatives and volunteers also help with school supplies, textbooks and scholarships for temporarily displaced schoolchildren. For example, NGOs inform parents about opportunities to enrol in public distance learning schools and facilitate the provision of free online courses in language and basic skills. All this gives hope that, despite the war, the younger generation will be able to get an education and find their place in new communities without losing their usual learning process.
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Volunteer movement and community initiatives
Volunteers remain the driving force behind humanitarian work in the country. According to sociological studies, more than 83% of citizens believe that volunteer assistance plays an important role in protecting and supporting the state. Almost 71% of Ukrainians have already joined volunteer efforts to help the army and victims, and over 78% are ready to continue helping even if the war lasts more than five years. Some efforts are systematised and supported at the state level. In July 2025, the government officially approved the concept of the State Programme for the Development of Volunteer Activities until 2030. This initiative provides for comprehensive support for the volunteer movement at all levels and aims to improve cooperation between civil society organisations and the authorities. In particular, there are plans to create community resilience centres where volunteers and social workers will provide advice and assistance to displaced persons, veterans and vulnerable groups.
In everyday life, cooperation between the state and civil society organisations manifests itself in numerous joint projects. For example, a travelling exhibition entitled “The Power of Volunteers in Everyday Actions” opened in Kyiv in the autumn, featuring thousands of photographs showing volunteers at work. At the opening, the director of the Kyiv City Council’s communications department emphasised: “The volunteer movement has long been a hallmark of Ukraine… a symbol of resilience.” And the examples of assistance speak for themselves: Ukrainian philanthropists freely send food and medicine to the safety zone, organise music concerts and creative workshops for displaced children, and farmers deliver goods to temporary accommodation sites. Volunteering has become part of the routine of state life, and the authorities recognise it as part of national security and unity. At the same time, ongoing work to create an official Register of Volunteers, which collects data on thousands of people willing to help, facilitates coordination between organisations. Thanks to such efforts, the state and the public are constantly “working side by side” to overcome the humanitarian consequences of the war, as experts emphasise.
Culture in wartime
Even during wartime, the state does not neglect culture, which is considered the foundation of national identity. The 2025 state budget allocates over UAH 11.3 billion (of which UAH 10.5 billion comes from the general fund) to culture and communications, which is 7% more than last year. A significant portion of these funds is directed towards strengthening public broadcasting and developing creative industries. For example, the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation received UAH 250 million (+15% compared to 2024) to support local art projects and initiatives. Government funding also supports Ukrainian book publishing: UAH 278.6 million has been allocated to promote Ukrainian literature and preserve book distribution.
Special attention is paid to protecting cultural heritage in areas that may be targeted by the enemy. Thus, in 2025, the maintenance of all museums and reserves under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy will be fully funded, and an additional UAH 70 million will be allocated for the construction of shelters in national reserves to ensure the safety of visitors. Overall, the 2025 budget “confirms the President’s position on the importance of culture as the foundation of national identity” and sees its development as “an important condition for our future victory.” In practice, this means supporting competitions and festivals, which have not stopped even during the war, and grant programmes that finance creative projects by volunteers and artists. This is how local cultural centres are being revived: bookshops, art studios and theatres are returning to work in relatively safe regions, and the authorities and volunteers are working together to provide displaced persons with access to art and leisure education.
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