Working Meeting between Kharkiv City Council and Ukrainian Red Cross Leadership

A working meeting between representatives of the Kharkiv City Council and the leadership of the Ukrainian Red Cross was held on 5 August.

The meeting focused on preparations for the heating season, emergency response, support for internally displaced people, veteran programmes, accessibility and inclusion, medical and social assistance, and new joint humanitarian projects.

Ivan Kuznetsov, Deputy Mayor responsible for the activities of the city’s executive bodies, outlined key areas where the city is seeking further cooperation with the Ukrainian Red Cross. These include strengthening emergency preparedness for the autumn and winter period, supporting more than 220,000 internally displaced people, developing an accessible and inclusive urban environment, providing targeted assistance to residents rebuilding damaged homes, and expanding psychological support, rehabilitation and services for veterans. The participants also discussed preparing critical infrastructure for winter, strengthening the energy resilience of healthcare facilities, and further developing the city’s civil protection system.

Despite daily attacks, Kharkiv continues to maintain the operation of critical infrastructure and essential municipal services. Ivan Kuznetsov highlighted the city’s long-standing partnership with the Ukrainian Red Cross, which has become an integral part of the support system for Kharkiv residents.

“Another difficult heating season lies ahead. Despite constant attacks, Kharkiv continues to operate, recover and prepare for any challenges. After every attack, our priority is to restore heat, water, gas and other essential services as quickly as possible, while supporting people who have lost their homes. The Ukrainian Red Cross is a reliable partner in this work. Together, we respond to the consequences of attacks, support people and have already implemented many important projects. We are also grateful for the generators provided, which help ensure the uninterrupted operation of Points of Invincibility (resilience centres) during power outages. We are ready to continue strengthening this cooperation and jointly implementing new initiatives,” said Ivan Kuznetsov.

Maksym Dotsenko, President of the Ukrainian Red Cross, confirmed that Kharkiv remains one of the organisation’s key priorities. He noted that changes in the organisation’s leadership structure will not affect the scale of assistance provided to the city. The Ukrainian Red Cross Strategy for 2026–2030 also envisages closer cooperation with communities, the development of civil protection systems, and the expansion of long-term social services.

“Kharkiv is an example of resilience, effectiveness and rapid recovery. We will continue supporting the city and developing joint projects in civil protection, social and healthcare services, support for veterans, and winter preparedness. Our commitment to Kharkiv will remain strong. We are focused on building a long-term partnership and expanding our support programmes,” said Maksym Dotsenko.