While political leaders debate the terms of a peace settlement in gilded halls of power, Ukrainians living in the nightmare of an ongoing war are struggling to survive and rebuild the tattered remnants of their lives, say those working on the ground with parishes, eparchies and local partners such as Caritas Ukraine.

Nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country, people are facing another dark, bitterly cold winter with frequent power outages that leave them without heat, light, cooking or washing facilities, reports Anastasia Hryniuk, Ukraine program officer of CNEWA Canada.

“People are doing their best to maintain their normal lives, but the war is having a huge impact,” she told The Catholic Register. “Lately there have been a lot of (Russian) strikes and attacks, and the total unpredictability of the next one leaves them in fear and uncertainty.”

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Hryniuk, who oversees CNEWA Canada’s Ukraine program from its Ottawa office, is in frequent contact with family, friends and beneficiaries on the ground, and hears heartbreaking stories of hardship and loss. But she also hears of resilience and hope as the war drags on. Intensified Russian attacks on critical infrastructure cause more hardship in the winter months, she pointed out.

“Electricity cuts are frequent in Mykolaiv, the city in southern Ukraine where my mother lives,” she said. “All the residents in her apartment building go for days without power — so no heat and no cooking. All the water in the building is not potable, and it’s not even fit for washing, so people have to go out and buy water.”

To Hryniuk’s mother and others who live in frontline communities, these numbers are more than statistics or news headlines as they live with the pain of losing loved ones to the war.

“We recently lost my dad’s cousin, an army medic who was killed in combat in Zaporizhia (a city in southeastern Ukraine on the banks of the Dnieper River),” she said.

Hryniuk is quick to point out that all Ukrainian families are caught in the grip of a humanitarian crisis. The UN has reported that so far, there have been 53,006 civilian casualties, including 14,534 deaths, since the full-scale invasion began. According to UNHCR statistics for November 2025, over 5.3 million Ukrainians have been displaced by the war. Approximately 3.75 million Ukrainians are also internally displaced throughout the country.

Hryniuk is one of those who fled Ukraine and found refuge in Canada. 

“I remember the day the war started,” she said. “It was 6 a.m., and we were in shock. We realized our city would most likely be targeted.” 

A student at the time, studying for her Master’s degree in international relations, she fled, carrying one suitcase and a backpack. She crossed the border to Poland and then came to Canada at the invitation of friends. She was fortunate enough to secure employment shortly after her arrival and has been working for CNEWA since then.

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Despite unstable internet connections, she communicates frequently with priests, religious sisters and others who actively implement CNEWA’s humanitarian programs.

“We take care of immediate emergency needs as well as long-term ones” she said. “For example, there was a massive attack on Nov. 19 on the city of Ternopil in Western Ukraine in which 38 people died. We provided blankets, food, medicine and other needs for the survivors who had to move with almost nothing. We also run long-term recovery programs such as aid for the elderly and for orphans.”

Hryniuk added that donors and supporters are not only bringing material aid to a war-ravaged country, but are lighting candles of hope and solidarity for the most vulnerable.

“It means a lot to them to know they are not alone, but have the support of people in Canada and around the world,” she emphasized.

Development and Peace-Caritas Canada, another Catholic charity, is also addressing the human cost of war in Ukraine.

“The humanitarian needs are more critical than ever,” said Camilo Coral, D&P’s Ukraine program officer. 

Working with local partners such as Caritas Ukraine, they are helping people with heating and shelter repairs as the long, cold winter sets in. 

Coral said organizations have to deal with fundraising challenges in addition to the logistical ones of driving through hazardous, snow-covered routes to deliver aid to communities. 

“Some governments have created the narrative that humanitarian need is not so important as in the past,” he observed.

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Hryniuk and Coral agreed that whether a formal peace treaty is signed in the near future or not, the humanitarian crisis will unfold for many more years to come.

“War in Ukraine is still ongoing and it’s important to help those who are affected,”Hryniuk said.