How to support Ukraine: five easy ways to do it right now

Ukrainians have been repelling Russian aggression and fighting to preserve their freedom and independence for over two years of the full-scale war. During this time, the world has witnessed how resilient and brave Ukrainians are — how they, in a united effort, joined the army ranks to protect their country, how they develop new projects, inventions, and businesses amid war challenges, and how they keep going to improve their country through grassroots movements and support those in need.

This challenging period also showed that Ukrainians couldn't have coped without the support of their friends and allies worldwide, who have been standing in solidarity with Ukraine. Since Russia is far from stopping its attacks, Ukraine needs as much assistance as it can get.

A rally in Paris in support of Ukraine commemorated the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Photo: Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP

Rubryka offers five simple ways to support Ukraine. Every bit of help means a lot to Ukrainians and can make a significant difference. 

1. Spread awareness on social media

#StandWithUkraine is a popular hashtag on social media that started even before Russia began its full-out invasion. Photo: Olha Stefanyshyna

The internet and social media have enormous power to raise awareness and show solidarity with Ukraine. To inform your online friends about the situation in Ukraine, you can share verified news updates and stories by Rubryka or other Ukrainian media, like Ukrainska Pravda, Hromadske, Radio Svoboda, and others. Using popular hashtags like #StandWithUkraine, #SupportUkraine, or #AirDefenseforUkraine and commenting and liking informative posts, you can help make Ukrainian voices heard and encourage others to take action.

You can also repost calls to action for important fundraisers, which collect aid for Ukrainians in need. Your initiative to spread the word helps them reach their goals and provide vital assistance faster. Make sure to rely on credible sources to avoid spreading misinformation!

2. Donate to Ukraine and reputable charities

How to support Ukraine: UNICEF is one of the organizations supporting Ukrainians in need of humanitarian aid. Photo: UNICEF

This war has proven that even the smallest donation goes a long way to support Ukrainian defense and civilians in need. Activists in Ukraine and other countries sometimes reach their fundraising goal in just a few days — in some cases a few hours — to buy a drone or other equipment for the Ukrainian army or provide relief to Ukrainian children and their parents affected by war. 

We know the secret is not making huge donations but many small donations that truly add up and make a difference. Donating money, products, or services to reputable charities and organizations is the most straightforward way to support Ukraine. You can choose a direction or a group of people you want to aid and look for well-established organizations with a proven track record:

• Organizations like PLAN International, Right to Protection, the Ukrainian Red Cross, Caritas Ukraine, Razom, Vostok SOS, World Central Kitchen, UN Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, and others provide humanitarian aid — food, medications, hygiene products — and services like legal or psychological aid to civilians in need, such as displaced or underprivileged children and adults. 
• The Voices of Children and Tabletochki Foundation help Ukrainian children specifically, including cancer patients.
• The Serhiy Prytula Foundation, Come Back Alive, UNITED24, and the KSE Foundation support the army.
• Veteran Hub is helping Ukrainian veterans in all stages of rehabilitation.
• UAnimals, a Ukrainian animal rights organization, supports animals and shelters affected by war.

Learn how Slovaks support the Ukrainian army here.

3. Support Ukrainian forced migrants

Donate to Ukraine: Ukrainian refugee registration center in Vilnius, Lithuania, at the beginning of the full-scale war. Photo: J. Stacevičiaus / LRT

Russia's war against Ukraine has displaced millions of Ukrainians nationwide and globally. Many Ukrainian refugees scattered across the world lost homes, jobs, and loved ones. Like people in Ukraine, you can help them by donating to organizations that provide shelter, food, medical care, and employment support like:

• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• CARE
• International Rescue Committee (IRC) 
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)/Doctors Without Borders 

You can also aid local NGOs working with refugees from Ukraine and, if possible, consider volunteering your time or skills to assist refugees in your area or hire them for your businesses. Organizations like the NGO Charity Centre for Refugees in Moldova, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Polish Humanitarian Action, and the Czech non-profit People in Need operate in the EU to assist displaced Ukrainians. Rubryka also reported about Ukrainian initiatives in Romania and Georgia that help refugees start over their lives.

Finally, you can support Ukraine's refugees who opened businesses in your host country. Hire them, visit their restaurant or shop, or buy their services and products!

4. Support Ukrainian businesses and culture

Buy Ukrainian: Spend with Ukraine is a platform where you can find to buy Ukrainian services and products. Photo: Campaign US

Growing the economy is vital for sustaining Ukraine and its defense, and supporting Ukrainian businesses is a great way to help. By buying Ukrainian services and products, you can show solidarity with Ukraine and support its economy. You can also help Ukraine fund the army and humanitarian aid for civilians through taxes businesses pay to the government and portions of proceeds Ukrainian companies allocate to nonprofits and charities. 

In these articles, you find out more Ukrainian businesses and artists you can support:

• This article offers a list of Ukrainian startups whose services you can purchase. 
• Rubryka also reported on Ukrainian fashion brands and convenient platforms for buying Ukrainian products.

To support Ukraine, you can learn more about Ukraine's history and immerse yourself in Ukrainian culture by attending events, reading Ukrainian literature, or listening to Ukrainian music. Understanding and appreciating the culture is a powerful form of support.

• In this Ukrainian books recommendation list, we offer eight titles you can buy and read in English now.
• Explore Ukrainian art in our article about five famous artists from Ukraine.
• Listen to music from Ukraine in Rubryka's playlist to suit any mood.
• This article presents the top 10 Ukrainian films you need to watch.

Discover more about Ukraine and its culture and traditions on our Explain Ukraine page.

5. Support small Ukrainian initiatives

Donate to Ukraine: Rubryka reported about Horses and Heroes, a small initiative supporting the rehabilitation of Ukrainian veterans. Photo: Rubryka

Supporting small Ukrainian initiatives is an easy and effective way to make a direct impact. Because of the war, many grassroots projects and small charities in Ukraine struggle to get the help they need. You can support these initiatives by contributing to local crowdfunding campaigns or donating to small NGOs focused on community development and relief efforts for displaced Ukrainians and others in need. You can also share their stories on social media to strengthen their presence online and help them find like-minded people and essential funding.

At Rubryka, a solutions-oriented media, we dedicated ourselves to covering people-powered stories and reporting about smaller initiatives. We want to make a change for their projects and communities, inspire readers to help them, and spread effective solutions from Ukraine globally. On our About page, you can find an easy website navigation guide to help you find the stories that will resonate with you and the small nonprofits and charity projects you can support right now.