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Direct Relief Surpasses $2 Billion in Aid to Ukraine
The milestone reflects one of the largest private philanthropic responses to Ukraine’s health crisis, sustaining medicines, rehabilitation, front-line outreach, and energy-resilient health care.
Direct Relief has surpassed $2 billion in medical aid provided to Ukraine since 2022. Here, 52 tons of medical aid arrives in Warsaw, Poland, on June 26, 2022, for last-mile distribution to health facilities in Ukraine. FedEx donated the charter transportation, free of charge. (FedEx photo)
Direct Relief announced today that it has delivered more than $2 billion in medical and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, underscoring the nonprofit’s role as one of the largest private philanthropic supporters of the country’s health system.
In addition to the $2 billion in aid, Direct Relief has committed more than $60 million in financial support to local healthcare providers and organizations providing care in Ukraine and other countries, including Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, that have opened their doors to Ukrainian refugees.
From the first airlifts of trauma kits in February 2022 to the installation of battery-backup systems in hospitals during winter blackouts, Direct Relief has worked in continuous collaboration with Ukraine’s Ministry of Health, regional authorities, and local healthcare providers.
Forty-four tons of medical aid bound for Ukraine departed from Direct Relief’s warehouse on June 17, 2022. (Lara Cooper/Direct Relief)
“Surpassing the $2 billion mark is not just a measure of what has been delivered. It’s a reflection of the trust placed in Direct Relief by donors and the resolve of Ukraine’s health providers, who have held their system together under extraordinary strain,” said Amy Weaver, CEO of Direct Relief. “This milestone underscores what can be achieved when private philanthropy and mission-driven partners act decisively together. As the war continues, our focus remains on ensuring consistent access to care, from medicines and rehabilitation to resilient power, mental health support, and essential medical services for displaced and vulnerable populations.”
In partnership with the Ministry of Health, Direct Relief has aligned its support with Ukraine’s national recovery priorities — supporting health facilities serving internally displaced people, rehabilitating critical infrastructure, expanding access to advanced therapies for chronic and rare diseases, and funding organizations providing psychosocial and trauma recovery programs. This sustained engagement reflects a transition from crisis response to long-term support, ensuring that aid continues to deliver impact well beyond the immediate emergency.
“Direct Relief has been consistently supporting Ukraine’s healthcare system throughout the war. This assistance is coordinated with the Ministry of Health, ensuring that resources are directed where they are needed most. We highly value this partnership, which saves Ukrainian lives and strengthens the resilience of healthcare services. In the most challenging moments — when hospitals operate under shelling, when the power goes out but doctors continue treating patients — the support of Direct Relief is especially tangible,” said Viktor Liashko, Ukraine’s Minister of Health.
“It stands as an example of effective international solidarity, embodied in concrete results: modern equipment, medicines, backup power systems, and the development of rehabilitation and mental health services. We are deeply grateful to the Direct Relief team and to everyone helping to reinforce Ukraine’s healthcare system, ensuring it remains effective, strong, and resilient.”
Essential Medicines and Supplies
Delivery of Direct Relief-donated medicines in March, 2023, to Kharkiv, Ukraine (Kharkiv Renovation Fund)
At the center of Direct Relief’s work is the provision of critical medicines and supplies. To date, the organization has delivered more than $2,046,000,000 in wholesale value, including more than 449 million defined daily doses of essential medicines used for trauma care, chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer, and maternal and child health. These shipments are directed by real-time requests from the Ministry of Health and local providers to ensure every delivery meets urgent and specific clinical needs.
Team sports and regular exercise sessions at the gymnasium are part of life at Unbroken National Rehabilitation Center in Lviv. (Unbroken)
As Ukraine’s health system continues to absorb the human cost of war, thousands of civilians and service members have lost limbs and now face long paths to recovery. Direct Relief’s support for rehabilitation and prosthetics has focused on strengthening national institutions and independent organizations working to restore mobility and rebuild lives.
Among them is the Unbroken National Rehabilitation Center in Lviv, now a national hub for advanced rehabilitative care. With support from Direct Relief and others, Unbroken has transformed a seven-story building into a fully equipped center where patients living with limb loss and other injuries relearn daily routines.
Direct Relief also supports the Protez Foundation, a U.S.- and Ukraine-based nonprofit that manufactures and fits custom prosthetics for civilians and soldiers injured in the conflict. The foundation has expanded its workshops and training programs with help from Direct Relief, enabling hundreds of amputees to receive modern prosthetic limbs and specialized therapy, free of charge.
Ukrainians who have lost limbs during the war are given prosthetics and learn rehabilitation exercises at the Protez Foundation. (Olivia Lewis/Direct Relief)
A growing number of those receiving care are also joining the workforce to help others. At U+ System in Kyiv, a Direct Relief–supported organization, veterans who once depended on prosthetics now produce and fit them for new patients — part of an emerging trend of amputees becoming prosthetists. “When a technician is an amputee himself, it’s easier to share this experience and help patients realize how they can recover after such a trauma,” said surgeon Oleksandra Mostepan.
Protez has launched a similar initiative, employing veterans and equipping workstations for people with disabilities. “We already have two veterans working — Danyl and Mykola — and we’re preparing more,” said Yury Aroshidze, the foundation’s CEO.
Together, these programs are redefining rehabilitation in Ukraine, shifting it from a story only defined by loss to one that includes leadership, skill-building, and community resilience.
Expanding Access to Health Services Across Ukraine
Ukrainian NGO Charity Fund Modern Village and Town, with the support of Direct Relief, provided medical consultations to kids in need of care in Kirovohrad, Ukraine. Specialists examined and consulted with 250 children from newborn to 18 years old, free of charge. (Photo courtesy of Charity Fund Modern Village and Town)
As millions of people have been displaced internally, and many communities continue to experience intense conditions, Direct Relief supports medical outreach programs that expand access to both primary and specialized healthcare for residents and internally displaced persons throughout Ukraine. These programs strengthen local health capacity by equipping healthcare facilities, mobile teams, and regional networks to deliver consistent, high-quality care to people who have lost access to regular medical services.
Through these efforts, Direct Relief helps health providers respond to the evolving needs of their communities. This includes managing chronic conditions and prenatal care, as well as providing essential consultations, medicines, and diagnostics in areas hosting displaced populations.
By reinforcing healthcare delivery networks nationwide, Direct Relief ensures that people affected by conflict and displacement can access safe, reliable care close to where they live. This work sustains the continuity of Ukraine’s health system through unprecedented challenges.
Power Resilience for Health Facilities: Keeping the Lights on in Crisis
In the town of Derhachi, five miles northwest of Kharkiv, two Tesla Powerwalls donated by the Polish government were installed last November at the local 100-bed hospital. “Now we can be sure that all operations will go ahead and that no patients are lost because of power outages,” said head surgeon Oleg Donchak. (Nick Allen/Direct Relief)
Electric grid attacks have become a recurrent tactic in Ukraine, severing power to homes and health facilities alike. To address power outages at critical facilities, Direct Relief supported the purchase and installation of battery-backup systems under its Power for Health initiative, donating more than 2,000 battery storage units to hospitals and health facilities across the country.
This critical infrastructure powers surgical suites, neonatal incubators, oxygen concentrators, and electronic health records systems during blackouts. At Kharkiv Regional Hospital alone, the battery units help the facility operate autonomously, absorbing grid outages and enabling continuous care.
Ukraine’s Minister of Health, Viktor Liashko, noted that each attack on the energy grid directly threatens patients’ lives, saying, “Every day, our medical facilities are subjected to targeted attacks … Ensuring uninterrupted medical care under any conditions … is our main task in the realities of war.”
In one harrowing case, doctors performed a critical surgery during a blackout by switching to battery power mid-procedure, an operation that would have otherwise been interrupted. Such incidents underscore the life-saving role of backup power in wartime.
By investing in resilient energy systems, Direct Relief helps preserve the backbone of Ukraine’s health infrastructure — allowing doctors to save lives even when the grid goes dark.
Healing the Invisible Wounds of War: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
A Ukrainian emergency psychologist interacts with children in a flood-affected community. (Melinda Endrefy/Hromada Hub)
Beyond physical devastation, the war has inflicted deep psychological wounds on the people of Ukraine. Daily threats of violence, displacement, and loss have left millions facing anxiety, depression, and trauma. In response, Direct Relief has made mental health and psychosocial support a central element of its ongoing humanitarian work, supporting organizations that are building national psychosocial support networks and expanding the availability of trained counselors and clinical psychologists.
In addition, Direct Relief is supporting an effort to train mental health professionals and civil defense first responders to assist people in the immediate aftermath of attacks, flooding, and other crises. The model is designed to help communities stabilize quickly and recover.
Sustained Commitment
A mother plays with and puts a cover on her son on the way between Medyka and Przemyśl in Poland. (Photo by Oscar Castillo for Direct Relief)
Since February 2022, more than 2,300 medical facilities in Ukraine have been damaged, including 305 fully destroyed, according to the Ministry of Health. The World Bank and European Union estimate that the country’s health sector faces $19.4 billion in recovery needs — a scale of loss that underscores both the urgency and the importance of sustained private humanitarian engagement.
Direct Relief accepts no government funding, relying solely on private donations and in-kind contributions to maintain the speed and flexibility required in crisis response. The organization will continue to support the country’s health system — from medicine deliveries and rehabilitation programs to expanded healthcare access, resilient power, and mental health — to ensure care remains available into the future.
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