At the beginning of February, the Estonian Refugee Council's team handed over four generators to the local governments in East of Ukraine, the purchase of which was supported by Estonian donors in the campaign "Give Spark". The generators help to keep the critical infrastructure of the municipalities close to the frontline running ("points of invincibility") and allow the locals to charge communication devices in case of emergency.

"Points of Invincibility" (Ukrainian: "Пункт незламности") is an initiative of Ukrainian authorities from 2022, when Russia launched a massive attack on critical infrastructure in November. "Unbreakable points" or "points of invincibility" are places where heat, water, electricity, mobile communication, etc. are guaranteed.

The generators were delivered to Kushugum, Vozdvyzhivska, Bilenkivska and Mykhailo-Lukashivska municipalities (hromads) in the Zaporizhia region.

"The need for help in Ukraine is increasing and this is especially felt in the winter period, when power outages in cold weather hit harder. That's why we called on Estonians to figuratively donate electricity for the second winter and directed the generators purchased as a result of the campaign to settlements close to the front. Unfortunately, the areas selected based on need are only a few among hundreds of those in need, but we are even more grateful to all the donors that together we can alleviate the situation a little," said Eero Janson, Director of the Estonian Refugee Council.

Volodymyr Sosunovsky, the representative of the Kushugumi Municipality, while accepting the generator, stated that nearly 400 households have been damaged in the war in the region. In addition to its 18,000 inhabitants, the municipality has received about 3,000 internally displaced people from Mariupol, who left their homes almost a few years ago. "On top of that, we are 34 kilometers away from the nuclear power plant, so we have a potential radiation hazard here. We have stocked up on iodine tablets, evacuation points are in place, and the generator will greatly support us in our resistance. But the most important thing is the feeling that we are not alone in this," Sosunovsky thanked.

Estonian Refugee Council mainly provides cash-based aid in Ukraine, as of February it has reached nearly 265,000 people and aid has been distributed in the amount of nearly 50 million euros. In addition, aid is directed to the purchase of solid fuels, the renovation of houses damaged in military activities, and support for agriculture and entrepreneurship. More than 35,000 people have received food aid.

ERS's activities in Ukraine are largely supported by institutional donors: the European Union (ECHO), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), USAID/Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, with Acted as the main partner in Ukraine.

Although long-term and large-scale aid programmes can be implemented with the support of such donors, many needs remain outside their focus. Therefore, donations collected from Estonia continue to be important to cover such needs that are not covered by institutional donors. Estonian Refugee Council's donation lines are still open:

9003801 - 5 euros 
9003802 - 10 euros 
9003803 - 50 euros

Donations can also be made through the website: www.pagulasabi.ee.