I am both a staff member and a volunteer with the Red Cross. In practice, the Red Cross has been my whole life since 2022.
Oleksandr Lavryniuk
20 Hours in the Rubble: Red Cross Volunteers Among the First on the Scene When Drones Strike
Oleksandr Lavryniuk (left) and Oleksiy Mishchenko (right) are part of the Red Cross search and rescue team in Ukraine. They worked for more than 20 hours following the major Russian attacks on the night of 14 May.
The same week that Norway celebrated Constitution Day and our own freedom, Ukraine was hit by new, massive Russian attacks. When drones and missiles strike residential areas, Red Cross volunteers are quickly on the scene to bring people to safety.
During the night of 14 May, the whole of Ukraine came under heavy Russian attack. In Kyiv, 24 people were killed, including three children. Forty-eight people were injured. The Red Cross search and rescue team worked for more than 20 hours in the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv. Volunteers provided first aid to 20 people and psychosocial support to those affected and their families.
Extensive destruction following the Russian attack in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district on 14 May.
Photo: Ukraina Røde Kors
Oleksandr Lavryniuk leads one of the Red Cross’s 24 emergency response units in Ukraine. He took part in last week’s rescue operation. Norad met Lavryniuk in Kyiv in November.
– For me as a volunteer, this is about helping people. It is a calling that comes from the soul and the heart – to provide help. Because if we do not do it, then who will?, he said.
In Ukraine, the Red Cross works alongside the Ukrainian emergency services to protect civilians affected by the Russian war effort.
Norway is now providing NOK 203 million to support the Red Cross’s work in meeting the acute humanitarian needs of Ukraine’s war-affected population.
- Read also: New report from the Office of the Auditor General: Emphasis on oversight and anti-corruption
Everyday Life in Wartime
Drone and missile attacks are part of everyday life for Ukrainians. Recalling an attack on the night of 25 November last year, Oleksandr described how they responded after arriving at an apartment block struck by a drone, where lives had been lost.
– We assisted the state emergency services in evacuating people and accompanying them to ambulances. We also provided psychosocial support to those who needed it, and helped the police cordon off and secure the area so that others would not come too close to the building and risk injury, he said.
Norad Director General Gunn Jorid Roset met Lavryniuk while relief efforts were still under way.
Norad Director General Gunn Jorid Roset met Lavryniuk during her visit to Kyiv in November 2025.
Photo: Ukraina Røde Kors
– I met Ukrainian aid workers who had been working throughout the night. It makes a strong impression to see volunteers stepping in to evacuate people, provide support and serve a warm meal, said Roset.
The Red Cross is an important partner for Norway in Ukraine.
– The Red Cross provides life-saving assistance. Their work helps give people a sense of safety when they need it most, Roset said.
A Broad Humanitarian Response
Altogether, the Red Cross has 700 volunteers who have assisted close to 350,000 Ukrainian civilians.
Before the war escalated, volunteer work largely consisted of ordinary search and rescue missions. For instance, helping someone lost in the forest or rescuing people who had fallen through the ice.
All of this has changed, although such missions still take place. In Ukraine, the Red Cross helps ensure that life-saving assistance reaches civilians affected by the war – including in areas with severely restricted humanitarian access, such as Russian-occupied territories.
Grete Herlofson meets Mariia – an elderly woman who has just been evacuated more than 600 kilometres by Ukrainian Red Cross volunteers, from war-affected Kherson to safer surroundings in Khmelnytskyi.
Photo: Roar Dalmo Moltubak/Norges Røde Kors
– In the midst of this brutal war, it is reassuring to see that the assistance we are able to provide, thanks to the Norwegian authorities and donors, is making a difference. I am also deeply moved by the resilience of the Ukrainian people and the way they continue to care for one another. That gives hope for the future, said Herlofson.
Millions in Need of Protection
The war has caused widespread destruction and enormous humanitarian needs. Millions of people require healthcare, protection, clean water, emergency relief and livelihood support. The situation is particularly serious for people living near the front lines, in occupied areas, and for internally displaced people who have lost their homes and livelihoods.
An apartment block in Kyiv was struck by a drone, and several lives were lost. Volunteers from the Ukrainian Red Cross are working inside the remains of the building to assist those affected and support rescue efforts.
Photo: Ida Wullum-Lindberg/Norad
Oversight of Norwegian Funding
The civilian component of the Nansen Support Programme is Norway’s largest aid programme ever. Since 2022, Norway has provided more than NOK 1.7 billion to the Red Cross Movement in Ukraine and Moldova. Within the Movement, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been the largest recipient of Norwegian support for its work in Ukraine.
In total, Norway has provided NOK 37.3 billion in civilian support to Ukraine. The risk of corruption is high, including for Norwegian aid funding. Norad has extensive anti-corruption expertise and has introduced additional control mechanisms to reduce the risk.
– The support must reach those who need it. Control of financial flows and thorough risk assessments regarding corruption have always been central to the Nansen Programme for Ukraine. We have clear requirements for partners and have built robust systems to prevent and detect any misuse of Norwegian funds, says Roset.