Four years after the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression, peace is still not in sight in Ukraine. The attacks on the energy infrastructure continue unabated; power outages and hardship shape everyday life. On the anniversary, we spoke with Vasyl Savka, Executive Director of KOLPING Ukraine, about exhaustion, perseverance – and why psychosocial support is just as important as humanitarian assistance.
KOLPING INTERNATIONAL: Four years of war – and we continue to receive reports of new attacks, countless victims and hours-long power outages. What does this anniversary mean today for the people in Ukraine? Is it still something special?
Vasyl Savka: Four years of war are indeed such a long period of time that this anniversary is no longer a symbolic date for many people in Ukraine, but rather a painful milestone. The day reminds us above all of our losses – of the price we have to pay for our freedom, our democracy and our sovereignty. It reminds us of destroyed homes, broken families, fallen relatives, or family members and friends whom we have not been able to meet for years. At the same time, this war has also become everyday life. The sirens, the constant power outages, the ever-present danger of new attacks – all this has become part of our normality. I do not want to say that we have got completely used to it. But we have learned to function under these severe conditions. Therefore, this anniversary is both – a moment of reflection and at the same time just another date in a long, terrible war.
Since the beginning of the war, you have coordinated Kolping emergency relief from Chernivtsi, working closely with KOLPING Romania, KOLPING Poland and other association levels. You repeatedly accompany the aid deliveries personally – even those that lead dangerously close to contested regions. What can you currently report from these areas?
Now, in the bitterly cold winter, with many hours of power outages, conditions are of course particularly harsh. We recently visited several villages near the front line, for example in the Kherson region. Life there was already catastrophic before the war. There was no work and hardly any infrastructure. Nevertheless, people remain there, even now. One can see their enormous exhaustion, but also dignity and sense of community. Together they defy the most difficult conditions. And when you ask them why they do not flee, they say: Where should I go? Where am I expected? Who will help me in the West? They are somewhat right about that. One thinks that it could hardly become worse elsewhere. For example, we were in a village where everyone had gathered in the community hall. There was a large stove inside. Nevertheless, the room was very cold. I asked why they were not heating, there was wood in the forest nearby. They said they could not collect it because there are mines everywhere. They truly lack everything: electricity, firewood, water, food, medical care. Hardly any aid deliveries reach the villages anymore; they have decreased drastically. These people urgently need assistance. That is why Kolping continues to go there as long as we can, with generators, field stoves, warm blankets, food and other humanitarian relief goods.
Your hometown Chernivtsi in western Ukraine is considered relatively safe. How do you experience the consequences of the war there?
Even though Chernivtsi is considered relatively safe, we have also been attacked several times with combat drones and missiles. However, the biggest problem is the Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure. The whole country feels this, not only the people in Kyiv, Kharkiv or other contested regions. We too are often without electricity for 17 to 20 hours a day. This affects everything. No electricity means no heating, no water, no light. Once electricity is restored, you have to decide quickly: what should I do first? Cook, do the laundry, take a shower, wash the dishes? That has a strong psychological impact. And life has changed extremely in recent months for many people. Desperation is increasing. Because of lost relatives. Because many displaced persons have long since exhausted their savings and there is not a job in the West for every profession. These people are becoming impoverished, they live under poor conditions in refugee accommodation and depend on assistance. We also care for them, for example with meals from the soup kitchen and with psychosocial services. But there is still something like everyday normality in the West – and even privileged people who live as if the war did not exist. But these are very few.
KOLPING INTERNATIONAL has continuously supported your emergency relief since the beginning of the war so that the soup kitchen, aid deliveries and all other measures can continue. What challenges are you currently facing in this work?
Thanks to the continuous support of KOLPING INTERNATIONAL and our worldwide Kolping family, we have fortunately been able to maintain our humanitarian work for a long time. And for this we are deeply grateful. But of course there are challenges, and they are increasing. At the beginning and middle of 2025, I was truly concerned because the aid deliveries to us decreased drastically. What used to arrive once a week came only once a month or even every two months. But since August, transports have increased again, even significantly. For example, on Friday a truck arrived with 71 emergency generators from the Diocesan Association of Augsburg and the Kolpingsfamilie Ebersberg. Yesterday we unloaded a large truck delivery from Stuttgart. Soon another 200 emergency generators are expected. And of course food supplies. Things are moving again. The need is still there. In addition, there are logistical problems because fuel costs have increased, while financial resources have slightly decreased. Another problem is human resources. It is difficult to find helpers, for example for loading and unloading. This is partly because people are exhausted, but also because there are hardly any men left who could lend a hand. They are all in the army. Without the help of our friends from the police and the National Guard, we would no longer be able to manage this.
Are more internally displaced persons currently arriving in Chernivtsi again?
Yes, more people are currently arriving here, especially from Kyiv, Kharkiv and other regions that are under constant Russian bombardment. Among them are families who have fled several times, for example from Donetsk to Kyiv and now further west. This means a greater need for refugee accommodation, for food, for everything. In Chernivtsi, KOLPING Ukraine currently no longer operates an accommodation. But in Sharhorod we maintain a centre for persons with disabilities. People are still arriving there. Currently around 50 displaced persons live there; 30 of them have a disability and receive appropriate support and assistance.
Last year, for the first time, a training course in trauma therapy conducted by KOLPING Ukraine together with the Wings of Hope Foundation was successfully completed. Is the psychosocial work of these trauma specialists already bearing fruit?
This two-year training of trauma specialists was truly an important milestone for us – and for our country. Research indicates that approximately 90 percent of the Ukrainian population is now traumatised by the war. There are virtually no healthy people left here. The need for trauma therapy is therefore enormous. Kolping is one of the few organisations that has begun training trauma specialists. Our staff have learned methods that have already been tested in countries such as Syria, Afghanistan or Iraq and function very well. Since the middle of the training, they have been applying these methods in their daily work, in Kolping facilities such as residential homes or support centres. Around 300 people have already received trauma-related support. We definitely want to continue offering this training and have just submitted a funding application for a second training course, again together with the Wings of Hope Foundation. In addition, KOLPING Ukraine is even planning to build and open its own school of psychotraumatology. We are currently working on this and seeking funding. The need for trauma therapy here is immense and will remain for years to come. This is work for the future. This war – regardless of when it ends – will leave our nation not only destroyed houses but also deeply wounded souls. And Adolph Kolping said: “ The needs of the time will teach you what is to be done.” I see our vocation here.
After four years of war – how much strength is still left in your Kolping team? What gives you confidence despite everything?
After these four years of war, we are all really tired. The entire Kolping team is tired and exhausted; the ongoing strain is enormous. But the strength to continue is still there because we draw it from the solidarity we experience. From cooperation with the many helping hands we have. From the unending willingness to donate within the worldwide Kolping family and beyond. From the grateful eyes of the people we help. From this we can draw strength, and that gives us confidence. The certainty of not being alone. And as long as we act together in solidarity, we will not give up hope and will continue.
Dear Vasyl, we thank you wholeheartedly for your tireless commitment and wish you continued strength and success in this remarkable and extremely important work.
The interview was conducted by Michaela Roemkens, KOLPING INTERNATIONAL.
