Ukraine – Four years on the road in a war zone – Christians standing alongside Israel

Ukraine – Four years on the road in a war zone

March 9, 2026

Aid projects, Holocaust survivors, Aliyah, Ukraine

February 24th marked the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Despite this, the Ukraine team of Christians Standing with Israel (CSI) to work tirelessly to help the Jewish communities in a variety of ways. How much longer can our team sustain this effort? A situation report.

By Anemone Rüger

When Koen Carlier, head of our Ukraine work, practically forced supplies of mattresses and food on the Jewish communities at the end of 2021, no one could have imagined that the Eastern European country on Europe's doorstep would still be burning and bleeding four years later.

No one could have imagined that 30 years after the end of the Cold War, Russia would continue a war on Ukrainian territory that, for the population, has already lasted longer than the German occupation during World War II. The US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates a total of 1.8 million victims, including up to 140,000 Ukrainian and 350,000 Russian dead.

Russia has not been able to break the will to freedom of the country, which has been independent for 35 years, nor has Ukraine been able to push back the Russian occupation. Like a crescent moon, the Russian front closed around the eastern half of Ukraine in the spring of 2022: from the shared border with Belarus in the north to the Black Sea in the south. After the planned blitzkrieg failed, the hellish situation along the front line in the east, along the separatist districts of Luhansk and Donetsk, became entrenched.

Large parts of the country are no longer accessible

With the (re-)opening of a second front in the north in the spring of 2024 and the increasing attacks on cities along the Black Sea coast, Ukraine is once again surrounded by a clasping ring of siege. Travel to the north, the south, and for a long time now, the east, is no longer possible.

A drone or missile attack can strike anywhere at any time. If a guided drone enters Ukrainian airspace, it can take hours before it impacts or is neutralized. Therefore, in some places, there are days when air raid sirens sound almost constantly. And no one seeks shelter anymore, because life must somehow go on.

What's new this winter is the now devastating state of the energy infrastructure, which is being attacked with increasing frequency – a key strategy in this war of attrition. While in the early years of the war, power outages were still a surprise, and the country could compensate for the losses following targeted Russian attacks with other power plants, days with only one or two hours of electricity are no longer an exception, even in the interior of the country. As soon as the lights come on, people rush to the sockets to charge their cell phones and power banks and quickly cook something.

What was unforeseeable even four years ago was that we would still be able to continue our service in Ukraine; that our courageous staff on the ground would still be there, standing by the Jewish people wherever they need help and comfort. After the chaotic first months of the war, when all resources were being used to evacuate refugees, it became clear that all the assistance we had provided so far was still needed. The children of the war from back then, now in their old age, either don't want to or can't leave again, and the families often can't bring themselves to part with their husbands, who are obligated to serve and are not allowed to leave the country.

"What sustains us is the knowledge that we are not alone."

In over 20 soup kitchens, more than 10,000 hot meals are served each month. The team, together with local helpers, packs an average of 2,000 food parcels monthly. Ukrainian Jews are driven to consular appointments and, finally, to the airport in Chișinău, Moldova, on their departure day – every week. And Holocaust survivors are visited and given gifts in their isolation. Last year, our Ukrainian colleague Alina made 700 visits to the Jewish seniors in our sponsorship program.

The war has now entered another critical phase. Targeted attacks on the remaining power plants, accompanied by weeks of sub-zero temperatures, have brought the country ever closer to the brink. It is the coldest winter since the war began. The mayor of Kyiv's call for residents of the metropolis of millions to evacuate was unprecedented. More than half a million people have left the city, leaving one million households in Kyiv without power. Without power also means without water. The frost has caused irreparable damage.

How much longer will the country, how much longer will our team last? “What sustains us is the knowledge that we are not alone,” says Koen Carlier. “The prayers of our friends on the home front keep us going.”

Help overview:

Aliyah

While an immense stream of refugees left the country during the chaos of the first weeks of the war, with many Ukrainian Jews fleeing to Israel, since then our team has been bringing individual families to the airport each week. All photos: CSI

Youth Aliyah

Through the Na'aleh and Selah programs of the Israeli immigration organization Jewish Agency, Jewish teenagers have the opportunity to complete their final years of schooling or an academic program in Israel without parental accompaniment, but with comprehensive support. At that age, the language is quickly learned in the appropriate environment; most of the teenagers stay, and after some time, the rest of their families join them. In September 2025, CSI, together with the umbrella organization Christians for Israel International, was once again able to fund a plane carrying Jewish teenagers. Photo: CSI

Food parcels

The situation deteriorated drastically as early as the beginning of the first war in Ukraine in 2014, and our team received an increasing number of requests from Jewish communities to support those in need. The emergency supplies that Koen's team delivered to the communities in early 2022 helped many survive the first weeks of the war, when entire regions were temporarily cut off from supplies. Since then, the need has steadily increased. Every month, the team, together with local volunteers, packs around 2,000 bags. Each bag bears the Bible verse from Psalm 121: "Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."

Meals on Wheels

For many senior citizens in the Jewish community, a hot meal a day is no longer a given. It is especially hard for widows and widowers, who are suddenly left alone to cope with their already difficult daily lives. Their pensions are never enough to cover food, medication, and heating all at once. Many elderly people live on the upper floors of old apartment buildings without elevators. Every purchase and every step requires careful consideration. Families with a disabled relative also lack a social safety net. CSI operates over 20 soup kitchens through Jewish communities across Ukraine, where approximately 10,000 hot meals are served to those in need each month.

Feast for Survivors

The Jewish seniors in our sponsorship program have become increasingly isolated in recent years. The isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic was followed immediately by the outbreak of war. Their children, if they have any, often live in unreachable Russia or elsewhere abroad. Whenever possible, we invite the generation of survivors and children born after the war to a meal with live music, warm fellowship, and small gifts. These are hours in which our guests forget the war and their loneliness and regain their zest for life.

Simcha

Visits

This article first appeared in our newspaper "Israelaktuell," issue 144. You can order the newspaper here . We would also be happy to send you several copies for distribution.

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