Since the onset of the Ukrainian crisis the Russian Red Cross (RRC) provided relief and support to more than 1.7 million people including refugees and displaced persons from Donbass and Ukraine as well as residents of Russia’s boundary regions affected by the crisis. In three years the organization established a system for large-scale humanitarian, financial and psychological assistance, improved its Restoring Family Links (RFL) program and introduced new emergency assistance modalities, such as mobile aid stations. Over the period, donations received by the Russian Red Cross enabled it to provide relief assistance worth more than 3.6 bn rubles to Ukrainian crisis victims.
“From the very first days of the crisis we aimed not just to distribute humanitarian aid but also to create a comprehensive, long-term follow-up system for those in distress. We saw thousands of families leave their homes by necessity, lose their loved ones, struck by uncertainty. It is important therefore to give people hope and sustenance while they adapt to change. For this purpose we continuously monitor the situation and analyze requests so that we know exactly what people need. This enabled us to transform humanitarian services and adopt a targeted assistance model which helps us delve into problems facing each particular family, offer solutions relevant to individual circumstances, and try to support them in a meaningful way,” said Pavel Savchuk, Russian Red Cross President and member of the Russian Federation Civic Chamber.
He further explained how support measures were adjusted to the specific needs of refugees and displaced persons. In the early stage of the Ukrainian crisis the focus was on distribution of in-kind humanitarian assistance such as food packages, personal care kits, essential supplies and clothing. Nearly 792 thousand people received RRC humanitarian supplies. Subsequently the organization started issuing cash payments ranging from 5,000 to 15,000 rubles to displaced persons, the number of beneficiaries totaling 160 thousand. In addition, over 141 thousand people received food, medicine and clothing vouchers. Under this approach, recipients can make purchase decisions based on their personal needs. Importantly, affected individuals can file a support request at the regional office in any of Russian Federation constituent regions.
Special emphasis is given to humanitarian work with victims of shelling in the Belgorod region. In 2023, when the town of Shebekino came under attack, its 27,096 residents received RRC relief. In 2024, the Russian Red Cross launched a health resort treatment program which covered over 4,200 Belgorod region residents affected by shelling. Funding allocation amounted to 300 mln rubles.
Bearing in mind that adaptation is a key priority for newly arrived refugees and displaced persons, the organization put together another important long-term support mechanism — the vocational adjustment program which offers an opportunity to select and join refresher and retraining courses funded by the Russian Red Cross. Nearly 300 people completed vocational training since September, 2023. The project is being implemented jointly with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
In this context, humanitarian infrastructure development remains a key component of humanitarian work. In the summer of 2022, when humanitarian situation in the Belgorod region’s border districts deteriorated significantly, the Russian Red Cross deployed a mobile emergency aid station which assisted more than 4.6 thousand people. In August, 2024, as the Kursk region emergency unfolded, the organization promptly opened a mobile quarter comprising 12 aid stations in the central part of Kursk. The main purpose is to minimize waiting time and maximize convenience in obtaining assistance throughout the support spectrum. This enabled the Kursk regional office to serve up to 1,500 visitors daily.
“The Russian Red Cross was the country’s first humanitarian agency to introduce the mobile aid stations concept. We are aware that in a crisis situation people need assistance promptly, without wasting time in long queues. That is why we designed our mobile stations to be multi-functional: they accept RFL requests, offer primary psychological counseling and distribute humanitarian aid. We keep developing this system so that assistance could be extensive, prompt and of high quality,” RRC President Pavel Savchuk pointed out.
Psychosocial support is of great importance — over the three years it was provided to more than 368 thousand affected individuals. Communicating in person or over a hotline, RRC specialists help beneficiaries cope with anxiety, fears and stress. Given that psychological recovery is a long journey, the Russian Red Cross continues to develop this area of support by expanding a network of professionally trained volunteer counseling psychologists.
“Over the period of three years we have been working closely with Russian NGO’s, representatives of federal and regional authorities, and international partners. It has been a matter of principle for us to make sure that Russian Red Cross support would supplement, and not duplicate, public services, addressing the needs that remained unmet. In order to consolidate experience and standardize our approaches, we hold “lessons learned” workshops twice a year with heads of regional branches to discuss ways to re-engineer our processes for higher efficiency,” Pavel Savchuk remarked.
Restoring of family links is RRC’s special focus. Over the three years, more than 52 thousand beneficiaries received assistance on tracing and restoring family links with their relatives. Since the beginning of the Kursk region emergency, over 7 thousand tracing appeals were received. Importantly, the same person can be sought for by multiple relatives, so that the number of tracing appeals exceeds the number of missing persons. Tracing is performed in coordination with federal and regional entities, including the Kursk region government and the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation. RRC also cooperates with ICRC, a partner in RFL activities that also conducts humanitarian operations within the territory of Ukraine. All beneficiaries are also provided with psychological first aid. Since August, 2024, RRC specialists successfully traced over 1,470 people.
