More than 1 million Polish zlotys (about $250,000) has been raised in Poland to buy generators for Kyiv, as the Ukrainian capital faces a mounting humanitarian risk following Russian strikes on the energy system, organizers said.
The fundraiser, launched around Jan. 15 under the slogan “Warmth from Poland for Kyiv,” aims to collect 2 million zlotys (about $500,000) to purchase and deliver 100 generators to the city. The campaign is hosted on a volunteer fundraising platform and backed by several civic groups.
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The appeal comes as Ukraine struggles to restore power after massive attacks that have left large parts of the country without electricity and heating. For a second consecutive week, Kyiv has been operating under emergency power outages, while nighttime temperatures have dropped to around minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit).
Organizers said the generators will be used to heat shelters for elderly people and children and to provide basic services such as boiling water. “Each dollar or euro brings us closer to sending this life-saving equipment,” the organizers said in a statement.
In recent days, some Kyiv residents have been left enduring extreme indoor conditions. Journalists with the Kyiv Post said temperatures inside their apartments dropped to about 9 degrees Celsius (48 degrees Fahrenheit), highlighting the severity of the situation as the city remains without stable heat and power.
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The initiative is being run jointly by several organizations, including Euromaidan-Warsaw, the Democracy Foundation, Sestry.eu, the Open Dialogue Foundation, the PRB Foundation and the Entrepreneurs Help initiative.
Within three days of launching, about 8,860 people had contributed, pushing donations past the 1 million zloty mark. Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, shared the fundraiser and thanked Polish donors and organizers for their support.
“In the current difficult situation, this assistance is extremely important and will truly save lives,” Bodnar wrote, expressing gratitude for what he called Poland’s solidarity and partnership with Ukraine.
Yet so far, Russia has failed to achieve its goal. Public transport, restaurants, delivery services, mobile networks, supermarkets, and industry continue to operate in Kyiv and other major cities.
Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) warned Saturday that Russia is considering attacks on electricity transmission substations that support the operation of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, in what Kyiv described as an effort to pressure the country into accepting unacceptable surrender terms.
HUR said Moscow is weighing strikes on strategic energy facilities, specifically substations that transmit power from nuclear plants to the national grid.
According to the intelligence agency, Russia also plans to intensify intimidation of European and Western countries to curb support for Ukraine, including efforts to weaken Ukraine’s ability to repel Russian air attacks on critical energy infrastructure.
“By destroying or disabling these substations, Moscow is seeking to disconnect the nuclear power plant’s power units from Ukraine’s integrated power grid, leaving Ukrainian civilians completely without electricity and heat,” HUR added.
Late Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would move to introduce a state of emergency in the energy sector, citing the heavy impact of recent Russian attacks on power and heating systems.
Zelensky announced plans to combat the “severe” consequences of Russian strikes on energy infrastructure and worsening weather conditions in three main areas.
Firstly, he said, a special headquarters will be established in Kyiv to coordinate a full-time response to the energy crisis.