The power of Ukrainian solidarity and unity: Ukraine's "whole-of-society" response to the war
For more than 1,200 days of full-scale war, two of the most striking qualities I have witnessed in Ukrainians - you might even call them "superpowers" - are hospitality and solidarity, which in the face of this horrific war have translated into unity and togetherness. Ukraine is often compared to a beehive and rightly so. Face-to-face with the loss, pain and daily threats brought on by the brutal Russian invasion, people resist and fight against it collectively. Everyone in the society, on their own frontline: soldiers, emergency responders, authorities, volunteers, humanitarian workers, engineers, doctors, teachers, mothers and children.
This is not just resilience — Ukrainians do not merely endure the war, they defy it by continuing to live fully and prosper, not as victims but as survivors. I am moved every time I hear people singing Ukraine’s national anthem while sheltering from the missiles and drones in metro stations. When I see how people rush to help neighbours whose homes were ruthlessly hit. When I meet children studying in underground schools to learn, to contribute to a prosperous Ukraine. I am deeply touched and constantly impressed to see how people across this beautiful nation refuse to give up and surrender and instead take their future in their own hands - repairing what was damaged, rebuilding in new communities that have offered shelter and developing innovative digital solutions. Above all, cultivating freedom.
Today, as we mark the World Refugee Day and honour the resilience and courage of people forced to flee their homes, I also reflect on my own journey: four years as the Representative of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in Ukraine. When I landed in Kyiv on 19 May 2021, little did I know that it would become a very different assignment to the one I had applied for. That I would find myself in the midst of a full-scale war, in Europe, and the largest forced displacement crisis since World War II - with about 10 million Ukrainian fleeing their homes - to become refugees from the war abroad or internally displaced within Ukraine.
Russia's full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022 was a shock on multiple levels, but not one that paralyzes. It was the kind of shock that propels you into action. I saw it in myself, in my UNHCR colleagues, and in Ukrainians everywhere. People opened their homes to forcibly displaced people arriving on evacuation trains. In cities like Dnipro and Lviv, they handed out water, blankets, home-cooked meals with passion and compassion – giving comfort and hope. Women who fled burning cities like Mariupol founded grassroots organizations in places like Mukachevo in Zarkapattia region to help others who were displaced find new friends and access essential services. From the first day until today, and continuing, this has truly been a whole-of-society response—where people across the community have mobilized and demonstrated solidarity, hospitality, togetherness and unity through their efficient and effective response to support those in need.
During these four years, I have travelled thousands of kilometers across Ukraine—visiting both major cities and small villages that have been razed to the ground. I remember the shock of walking through the streets of Irpin, Bucha and Borodianka in April 2022, just after Ukraine regained control over these areas. And the emotional boost of being in Kherson on 14 November that same year, only 72 hours after it was retaken, as I joined a UN convoy to the city.
The images of destruction in Northern Saltivka in Kharkiv, once a vibrant neighborhood and home to some 40,000 people, will stay with me forever. Along with the many, many stories of people able to return to their homes with a helping hand to repair them from UNHCR and our partners.
"It was a miracle to have my broken windows replaced, just before winter came. I can finally feel warm at home," Tetiana, a resident of Saltivka, told me.
But what mattered even more to her—and to countless others I have met in frontline areas—was the reassurance that they were not forgotten. That they were on the radar of someone who still cared about their fate and future. Reaching out and being present with our assistance and services in the most remote and heavily affected areas thus remains UNHCR’s priority in the humanitarian response, to ensure that those most in need are not left behind.
As the full-scale war is now, sadly, well into its fourth year — and intensified Russian attacks and ground offensives have led to a staggering rise in civilian casualties compared to last year, renewed waves of displacement from the frontline areas, and an exacerbation of the needs — our solidarity must not waver. Ukrainians do not have the option to give up and quit this ultramarathon before the finishing line, as it is their country’s and children’s future at stake. The international community must be as persevering as they are. Ukrainians do not want or need to be "assisted" as "vulnerable people". They seek mutual partnership—and some ‘fuel’ and support to help them recover, rebuild, and sustain hope in return.
That hope to return remains strong, even four years into the war. UNHCR intention surveys show that the majority of Ukrainian refugees and internally displaced people still dream of going home. Yes, safety remains a major concern. But access to jobs, housing, and services in their communities of origin will also ultimately determine whether return feels possible—and is sustainable.
Looking back at the last four years, I attest that this has been the most intense time of my professional life. While it may seem strange to call it a privilege to serve in a war zone, away from my family, it has been a privilege—to witness firsthand how a nation can mobilize and rise from attacks and trauma through togetherness. How solidarity can become a source of strength and unity. How hope can thrive even in the darkest hours and in underground cellars.
UNHCR has been present in Ukraine since 1994, when we started supporting Crimean Tatars to return to their homeland after being deported during World War II. We stayed and adjusted when the war started in 2014, and we significantly scaled up our response in 2022, providing emergency assistance to millions of people fleeing the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion, in violation of the UN Charter and Ukraine’s territorial integrity. UNHCR is determined to support the people of Ukraine through every new challenge and step towards recovery and prosperity, for as long as we are needed.
Ukraine and Ukrainians need peace – from the incessant attacks and killings of civilians, and the destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure. But this peace must be lasting, anchored in justice and respect for international law. Without that, recovery, return, reconstruction and unity will be at risk.
Post-war Ukraine will be home to those who have left everything behind, others who never left their home communities, people who returned with different experiences of the war, as well as those who will not be able to return to their place of origin as their homes lie in ruins or remain under Russian temporary occupation. These overlapping realities can create tensions and threaten the solidarity, hospitality, togetherness and, ultimately, the unity of the Ukrainian people, unless addressed with empathy, solidarity and care. Ensuring that every Ukrainian—regardless of their origin, displacement situation, and experience—is included, heard, and supported, and not forgotten and left behind, must be as much at the heart of the recovery effort as it has been a centerpiece of the emergency response. A lot of inspiration and good lessons learned can be drawn from the ‘whole-of-society’ response to the emergency. This is where the newly established Ministry of National Unity can play a key role, for example in fostering community connections by mobilizing community-based networks and civic initiatives, and help build a renewed sense of togetherness and belonging for all.
No one knows how or when this war will end. But one thing that I am confident about, is that the unbreakable spirit and determination of the Ukrainians, and the power of their hospitality, solidarity and togetherness, is a very solid foundation for a free, prosperous and resilient nation.
UNHCR has been present and working in Ukraine for over 30 years since establishing an operational presence in 1994 to support the repatriation of Crimean Tatars, who had been deported from their homeland during World War II. Throughout three decades, UNHCR’s role in Ukraine has repeatedly evolved to address new and growing challenges and respond to critical protection, humanitarian and solutions needs. The presence and work of UNHCR were scaled up following the Russian Federation’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and war in Eastern Ukraine, and again after Russia’s full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022. Since 2022, UNHCR and its partners have supported millions of people in Ukraine with cash assistance, legal and psychosocial support, house repairs and by improving living conditions in temporary accommodation centres hosting displaced people.