warm Up Ukraine
Kyiv’s average low temperatures in October and November are 40° F and 32° F respectively. From there, average lows drop sharply and do not increase above 30° F until April. If not properly dressed and equipped, mild hypothermia sets-in at these temperatures after around 30 minutes of exposure, severe hypothermia in under an hour, and minimum survivable temperature in under 2 hours.
We are in constant close contact with Ukrainian citizens and defenders, and they’re beginning to request various items to help keep warm. The Ukrainian Freedom Fund is prioritizing a new “Warm Up Ukraine” campaign from October to April with the goal of providing winter clothing and equipment to Ukraine. This includes hats, gloves, jackets, socks, boots, thermal underwear, Gore-Tex and multi-layer sleep systems, furnaces, generators, and other critical aid.
However, it isn’t enough to simply keep warm. From frozen trench warfare to sweeping winter offensives, those with better equipment enjoy an exponential advantage. So far, we’ve spent thousands of dollars on boots, gloves, sleeping bags, and other items that will provide a decisive advantage to Ukraine during these critical winter months. The time to act is now, because these items are currently available for sourcing and procurement both inside and around Ukraine. Similar to other UFF campaigns, we anticipate that demand for these items will far outpace supply in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, other organizations have a tendency to monopolize these items early and either up-charge or donate them to Ukraine only to sit in warehouses or remain indefinitely mired in buraucratic red-tape.
© UKRAINIAN FREEDOM FUND 2014-2023