Winter Support: More than 380,000 families in frontline areas to receive UAH 19,400 each

The Cabinet of Ministers has adopted a resolution establishing the Winter Support one-off cash payment. Vulnerable families living in frontline areas will each receive UAH 19,400 to help them through the 2026–2027 heating season. Applications will be accepted until 30 October 2026.

More than 380,000 households, comprising around one million people, will receive the payment. The total funding exceeds UAH 7.4 billion and is being provided by international and Ukrainian humanitarian organisations. Part of the funding has been transferred to the Humanitarian Account opened by the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity at the National Bank of Ukraine. The state will be responsible for accepting applications, verifying eligibility and protecting personal data.

“The state’s task is to combine its own capabilities with support from our partners so that assistance reaches the families who need it most this winter. This decision provides tangible support to people for whom the war creates additional risks and difficulties every day,” said Minister of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine Denys Uliutin.

A household is eligible if it includes at least one of the following:

• a person with a disability or someone receiving a disability pension;
• a pensioner who lives alone and is unable to work;
• a recipient of a housing subsidy covering utilities or solid fuels such as firewood, coal or heating fuel;
• an internally displaced person receiving a living allowance;
• a member of a large family;
• a single mother;
• a family with a child with a disability or a baby for whom a childbirth allowance is being paid;
• a foster family, family-type children’s home or family of patronage foster carers.

People with disabilities, pensioners living alone and families raising three or more children are also eligible even if they do not receive any of the benefits listed above. They must submit documents confirming their status with their application.

Applications may be submitted to the Pension Fund, an administrative service centre, or a village, settlement or city council. The Pension Fund will determine eligibility and make the payment either to a bank account or in cash through Ukrposhta.

The assistance will be provided through two funding arrangements, both offering the same payment of UAH 19,400. The first is funded by UNICEF and the Ukrainian Red Cross Society through the Ministry’s Humanitarian Account. The second is funded by the United Nations Refugee Agency and other humanitarian organisations.

The only difference is where applications must be submitted. The Government resolution specifies a list of communities covered by each arrangement. Local authorities or the Pension Fund will provide further information on the procedure each applicant should follow.

There is no need to apply under both arrangements. Applications will be cross-checked, and each household will receive only one payment, regardless of the number of people living in it.