Red Cross providing Ukrainians with home heating fuel as temperatures drop

KYIV, Ukraine – The International Committee of the Red Cross has been on the ground in Ukraine providing help and supplies for at-risk families for eight years, but as the conflict between the eastern European nation and Russia intensifies, the need for help has become more urgent.

One way the ICRC is helping families impacted by the fighting is by providing home heating fuel to stay warm as temperatures drop.

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It's been cold and snowy across parts of Ukraine and Eastern Europe, and it looks like that trend will continue at least through the rest of the week.

In the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, temperatures are forecast to remain in the mid- to upper-30s throughout the week. Snow and rain are expected to fall in the region, but Thursday should be cloudy and dry. Some wintry precipitation is expected to move back into the area by Friday.

Providing fuel for heating isn't the only way the ICRC is helping those affected by the conflict.

In Ukraine, Red Cross teams continue to help repair vital infrastructure, support health care facilities with medicine and equipment and provide families with food and hygiene items. According to the Red Cross, teams have also distributed more than 30,000 food and hygiene parcels and have assisted with the evacuation of people with disabilities. 

They've also provided first aid training to thousands of people who have taken shelter in metro stations and bomb shelters.

In addition, the American Red Cross is sending 30 trained staff members to Europe to support the emergency needs of U.S. military members through the Hero Care Network, which provides service members and their families with help 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

For more information about the Red Cross and how you can help, click here.