Vladimir Putin had ordered a full-scale military invasion and missiles rained down on Kyiv. Years of tension and questionable geopolitical moves from world leaders have led to this moment. The history around why this is happening and political debates aside, the tens of thousands of people fleeing the country right now need our help. The internet is currently cluttered with information, and it's hard to know what to trust through the sea of faulty sources and false reports. If you're in Berlin and looking for ways to support, here are some trusted resources you can use to help Ukrainians.

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Updated info (03/03) - The city of Berlin has published information for refugees from Ukraine on their website.

Updated info (06/03) - The European Commission proposes temporary protection for people fleeing war in Ukraine and guidelines for border checks. The decision is still in proposal-phase.

⚠️ Since there have been reports of human traffickers and other disturbing individuals offering rides to, mostly, women and young girls at borders - please make sure to tell Ukrainians at the border not to get into cars with strangers, but rather with trusted organisations. See below under "transportation".

There are currently many charities, donation-based ngo’s and private initiatives collecting money for helping the people affected by the war in Ukraine. You can find a list of trusted and verified initiatives to donate to in this document. These are two of  the most important registered associations in Berlin:

‍Help for refugees:

Empfänger/Receiver: Ukraine-Hilfe Berlin e.V.

Konto: Deutsche Skatbank

IBAN: DE24 8306 5408 0004 8722 15

BIC: GENODEF1SLR

Verwendungszweck/Subject: Flüchtlinge Spende Nothilfe Ukraine

Paypal: ukraine.hilfe@gmail.com (comment: Flüchtlinge Spende Nothilfe Ukraine)

Humanitarian help and medicine:

Empfänger/Receiver: PLAST Ukrainischer Pfadfinderbund in Berlin e.V.

Bank: Deutsche Skatbank

IBAN: DE88 8306 5408 0004 2640 37

BIC: GENODEF1SLR

Verwendungszweck/Subject: Spende Nothilfe Ukraine

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World Vision is accepting donations to help children and families affected by the war.
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Many marginalised minority groups coming from Ukraine need extra support. To help BIPOC & Slavic Ukrainian Refugees, as well as disabled Ukrainians affected by the war you can find resources within this Linktree. To help children, women and people from the  LGBTQ+ community, you can find regularly updated information in this Instagram Thread.

Ukraine-Hilfe Berlin e.v. is currently collecting food, equipment, hygiene supplies, supplies for children, medical equipment and medicine at specific drop-off locations in Berlin, to bring to people in need at the borders. You can find a regularly updated list of necessities and drop-off locations in this document or on their Facebook page. 

Goods4Ukraine is a platform that connects people willing to donate the most critical goods with organizations responsible for safe storage and delivery.

Deutsche Bahn is offering people with a Ukrainian ID’s  free train rides towards Berlin, Dresden, Nuremberg and Munich. For other locations within Germany they can get a free “helpukraine” ticket. 

Flixbus is offering free rides to people from the Polish borders PRZEMYŚL & RZESZÓW.‍

Helpbus.eu is a service you can call to order buses from Germany to the Ukrainian borders to pick up people who have fled.‍

Wizz Air is offering 100.000 free airplane tickets to people with Ukrainian passports who need to fly from Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.

The BVG is offering free public transportation rides for people with Ukrainian ID’s until the 31st of March.

Every Bed Helps is offering apartments for refugees coming from Ukraine.

Both Wunderflats and Airbnb started initiatives for both people who can offer accommodation and Ukrainian refugees in need of housing.

German lawyers specialised in residence and asylum law have advised people from Ukraine who have  friends/family in the EU and/or funds for the first days, to consider NOT to apply for asylum. Ukrainian people will be able to get residence for work/study purposes, this programme is going to be rolled out in the next few days. There will also be a programme for social help in those cases. If they apply for asylum, they will not be able to travel for a while and this process gives much less flexibility in their decisions. You can find more information in this document.‍

Berlin Hilft has listed 10 important steps to take for safe residence of Ukrainians in Germany. 

The Refugee Law Clinic Berlin is offering free pro bono legal advice for refugees. Another platform for Ukrainians who have fled as refugees to other countries seeking asylum and other legal assistance there is the Ukraine Legal Aid organisation - who also collect volunteer attorneys willing to help.

Krisenchat is providing 24/7 free psychological counselling for children and young adults in Ukrainian and Russian language via Whatsapp. You can chat with them by adding +4915735993126 on Whatsapp.

It's Complicated started an initiative to offer psychological counselling and support available for individuals directly affected by the crisis in Ukraine.

If you want to stay informed by trusted and fact checked media platforms, you can get your information at The Kyiv Independent & The New Voice of Ukraine. 

For more trusted resources have a look the Linktree provided by Ukrainischer Widerstand Berlin - and initiative of all Ukrainian organisations in Berlin collaborating and communicating through the Vitsche Instagram channel. For more resources on ways to help, donations and trusted media outlets and who to follow on social media you can check the Linktree provided by the VoiceForUkraine.

OneCoworking is offering free access to coworking spaces around Europe for the people affected by the war in Ukraine so they have a place to work, be in a supportive community and organise themselves. Coworking spaces who are interested in collaborating and joining this initiative can sign up here.

If you have any suggestions, supportive ideas or requests for updates please send an email to zoe@betahaus.de

This article will be updated regularly to stay accurate and relevant.