Poland is sending hundreds of generators and heaters to Ukraine as Russian strikes on the energy network leave many without heat during a severe winter. Government shipments include 379 generators and 18 heaters from strategic reserves, 447 EU-funded generators and 90 units from Warsaw, while Polish public donations have raised over 5.8 million zlotys ($1.62M). Officials say the aid is a humanitarian effort to protect civilians amid outages and plunging nighttime temperatures around −20 °C.
Poland Sends Hundreds of Generators to Ukraine as Winter Power Outages Bite
A resident stands near tents of a government-run humanitarian aid points, where residents can warm up, charge their devices, get hot drinks and psychological support, installed next to apartment buildings, during a power blackout after critical civil infrastructure was hit by overnight Russian missile and drone strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Anatolii Stepanov
Poland is dispatching hundreds of power generators and heaters to Ukraine after Russian strikes on the country's energy network left many residents facing a bitter winter without reliable heat or electricity.
The Interior Ministry said the government will deliver 379 generators and 18 heaters from the Government Agency for Strategic Reserves, while an additional 447 generators will be provided using European Union funds. The city of Warsaw is also donating 90 generators for Kyiv. Public fundraising in Poland has raised more than 5.8 million zlotys ($1.62 million) to buy further equipment.
Officials and aid organisers say the shipments are urgently needed as Russian attacks on energy infrastructure have caused power and water outages in Kyiv that now typically last three to four times longer than in previous winters. Night temperatures in the capital have fallen to around −20 °C, increasing the risk to civilians.
"Given the dire situation in Ukraine... Prime Minister Donald Tusk has ordered equipment to protect civilians from the effects of freezing temperatures," the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski of Warsaw echoed the humanitarian rationale, saying the strikes target critical infrastructure and have left large parts of the city cut off from energy supplies. Fundraisers described public donations as both a gesture of solidarity and a practical lifeline: "For us, it is a gesture of support — for them, a real chance to survive the winter," they wrote on their website.
These deliveries form part of a broader international effort to reduce civilian suffering as Ukraine says the strikes aim to weaken national morale, while Moscow says they are intended to degrade Ukraine's military capabilities.
Reporting by Alan Charlish, Marek Strzelecki and Kuba Stezycki; editing by Peter Graff.
Currency conversion used in reporting: $1 = 3.5809 zlotys.
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