The UN is reducing aid to Ukrainian refugees in 2026: what is known
4 February 02:46
The level of international aid to Ukrainian refugees continues to decline. The financial support plan for 2026, prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, provides for a significant reduction in funding compared to previous years. This is stated on the organization’s official website, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to the published data, the needs for assistance to Ukrainians in 2026 are estimated at $614 million, which is 23.6% less than was planned for 2025 ($803.6 million).
How funding for aid to Ukraine has changed
The UNHCR notes that the problem lies not only in the reduction of planned amounts, but also in the sharp drop in the actual level of program funding.
2022 — 91.7% of the plan (US$1.1 billion) funded
2023 — 84% ($924 million)
2024 — 64% ($635.7 million)
2025 — only 43.7% ($351.1 million)
Thus, the amount of real assistance to Ukrainian refugees has almost halved in a few years.
The war continues, and the needs are not diminishing
The UNHCR emphasizes that despite the reduction in funding, Ukraine’s humanitarian needs remain critical. The intensification of hostilities in 2025 — an increase in the number of missile and drone attacks, strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure — caused new waves of population displacement.
According to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission, 2025 was the deadliest year for civilians since the start of the full-scale war. A total of 2,514 people were killed and another 12,142 were injured — 31% more than in 2024.
How many Ukrainians remain refugees
As of the end of 2025:
- 5.86 million Ukrainians are abroad as refugees
- about 5.3 million of them are in European countries
- 3.7 million people are internally displaced within Ukraine
- 73% of IDPs have had this status for more than two years.
By September 2025, more than 1.4 million people had returned to Ukraine and lived there for at least three months, of whom more than 300,000 were not in their permanent places of residence.
Housing, heat, and basic needs are key issues
According to UN estimates, about 2.5 million internally displaced families in Ukraine still do not have access to adequate housing. The situation was exacerbated by massive Russian attacks on energy infrastructure in the winter of 2025–2026, which left millions of people without heat, water, and electricity in sub-zero temperatures.
At the same time, in countries hosting Ukrainian refugees, people face difficulties in accessing housing, work, healthcare, education, and social protection.
Who and what they plan to support in 2026
According to the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, UNHCR intends to support:
- 2.1 million people in Ukraine
- 482,000 Ukrainian refugees abroad
Planned funding:
- $470 million — for needs within Ukraine
- $144 million — for assistance outside the country
In particular:
- Moldova — $64 million
- Romania — $21.8 million
- Poland — $18.4 million
In Ukraine, nearly 1 million people need protective services, 652,000 need financial assistance, 325,000 need support with housing repairs or accommodation, and another 178,000 need basic necessities.
Aid is also decreasing in winter
Due to a lack of funding, the UNHCR has already been forced to reduce the amount of support it provides. During the 2025–2026 winter campaign, 176,000 people received financial assistance, which is 32% less than the previous year.
In 2024, only 44% of the aid plan for Ukraine was funded, which meant that as of November 2025, 1.14 million people received aid instead of 1.6 million in the previous year.
