Blog

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 6 February 2026.

The UK government has been supporting more than 1 million Ukrainians affected by the energy crisis this winter.

• As Ukraine suffers its worst winter in a decade, UK-funded deliveries of generators, hygiene kits and other vital components are providing urgently-needed assistance in response to the dire humanitarian situation
• With the latest trilateral peace talks set to begin in the UAE, the UK has partnered with UNICEF and Ukrainian energy and water suppliers to restore the supply of water and heating to those that need it most in display of our unwavering support for Ukraine

As temperatures drop below -20C across Ukraine, the UK government has been supporting more than 1 million vulnerable civilians affected by the energy crisis this winter.

The UK’s latest delivery of generators comes ahead of peace talks in the UAE as Russia continues to step up its barbaric attacks, brutally launching 70 missiles at vital Ukrainian energy infrastructure on Monday night – the largest missile attack in more than a year.

The UK Government is working closely with UNICEF and Ukrainian energy and water suppliers, to help provide generators, pipes, cables, and other items to restore the crucial supply of water and heating to Ukrainian homes, schools and villages affected by the Russian attacks.  

Amid freezing temperatures with strikes hitting residential buildings, many people including the elderly population have been stuck in cold, dark homes without running water or the ability to cook a hot meal. Schools and hospitals have also been affected, with severe disruption to medical services and some schools unable to provide in-person learning for students, denying children the basic right to a safe, warm classroom and the opportunity to see teachers and friends.

This week, 28 UK-funded generators have been urgently dispatched to water and heating companies across Ukraine, where they will provide hundreds of thousands of residents with emergency utility supplies. This is in addition to the 21 generators that were dispatched from December 2025.

Last month, 730,000 Ukrainians in Zaporizhzhia City and Oblast plunged into darkness without water, electricity or heating also had their water supply restored within just 90 minutes by switching to reserve power, thanks to UK-funded high-capacity diesel generators. 

A further 10 generators are expected to arrive over the next week to ensure the continuity of water supply and district heating in priority locations across Ukraine. 

Minister for Europe Stephen Doughty said: 

Russia’s savage tactics will not work - their relentless efforts to deny innocent Ukrainians basic necessities like heating, electricity and water in the brutal cold of winter will not break their resolve. 

Despite the efforts for peace by Ukraine – Putin is continuing to hit innocent women, men and children – even in the middle of a brutal winter.

The UK is proud to stand with Ukraine and continue this lifesaving work with UNICEF. 

The UK has provided over £1 billion in humanitarian and energy support since the start of the full-scale invasion,  which is helping to keep the lights on and Ukrainian homes warm when vulnerable civilians need it most.

Rapid on-the-ground assistance has been provided to hundreds of thousands of people across the country, including: 

• UK support to local authorities in Mykolaiv Oblast has funded the installation of independent heating systems for two schools, Mykolaiv Lyceum Vidrodzhennia and Oleksandrivskyi Lyceum. Solid fuel boilers now allow in-person education to continue for 780 students, meaning the schools can focus on providing vital learning and care for children. 
• In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, UK support is helping to install a new water unit to make heating services more resilient for around 42,000 residents, while elsewhere in Kherson City we have helped deliver valves and pipes to repair heating and power after a Russian attack in December left 40% of the city without heating. A nearby boiler house serving 8,000 people has been completely rehabilitated, with stabilised heating expected to be restored for a further 30,000 people this month. 
• Distribution of hygiene kits in Kharkiv City following Russian attacks in January  alongside  the delivery of pre-insulated pipes and cables to Kharkiv’s municipal heating company to restore heating services for the population. 
• Thermal insulation materials for the district heating networks rehabilitation for 89,000 village residents in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, improving efficiency and lowering fuel costs. 
• UNICEF water trucks that have delivered 75m³ of water to several large reservoirs within Odesa city, 25m³ of water to Kherson. 

In total, the UK is one of Ukraine’s leading bilateral donors and has committed over £577 million in humanitarian assistance for Ukraine and the region since the start of the full-scale invasion.  

This is alongside over £470 million of in-kind, grant and loan financing committed to the repair, protection and recovery of Ukraine’s energy sector and its long-term reconstruction and clean transition. This includes £153 million in contributions to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund for grid level repairs, protection and additional power generation. 

In addition to the humanitarian response, the UK has committed to delivering £3 billion of military aid to Ukraine every year until the end of the decade, for as long as it takes. Together with our ERA loan, we will provide Ukraine with £4.5bn in military aid this year – more than ever before. 

Despite the efforts of the UK and likeminded international partners in responding to Russia’s callous attacks, the humanitarian situation in Ukraine remains dire. It is more important than ever than Putin ceases to stall and delay, and engages meaningfully in discussions in Abu Dhabi to bring about a just and lasting peace and end the relentless suffering for the people of Ukraine. 

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 5 February 2026.

Statement by Ambassador Archie Young, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on UN Peacekeeping Operations: Police Commissioners.

The United Kingdom pays tribute to the UN Police who bravely serve in peacekeeping missions around the world.

UN policing is fundamental to effective peacekeeping in many contexts. To sustain impact, it must continue to adapt.

To that end, technology, including new digital tools, should be used to enhance the effectiveness of UN policing, supported by strong digital competency within missions.

New technologies can make missions more effective by enhancing operational awareness and deepening community engagement, but only if peacekeepers have the right skills and training to use them.

Second, it is vital that, like all peacekeepers, UN police uphold and reinforce the highest human rights, conduct, and accountability standards.

These principles form the basis of trust with local populations and are critical for mission effectiveness.

Any form of misconduct, including sexual exploitation and abuse, is unacceptable.

This requires timely and transparent accountability processes, with consistent national follow-up and publicly accessible reporting on disciplinary results.

Third, we must be clear that the meaningful participation of women in UN policing is an operational necessity, not an optional extra.

As we have heard clearly today, women police strengthen community engagement, broaden access, and improve reporting of conflict-related sexual violence.

For our part, the United Kingdom remains committed to tackling barriers to women’s participation in United Nations peacekeeping, including through our long-standing support for the Elsie Initiative Fund, to which we have pledged a further $685,000 in 2025.

Together, these efforts will help ensure UN policing remains capable, trusted, and effective.