Ukrainian cities call for donations of energy equipment

The President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), Kata Tüttő, and Antje Grotheer, chair of the CoR Working Group on Ukraine, have made an urgent call for in-kind support from European cities and regions to help Ukrainian local authorities keep essential services running in the midst of sustained Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure.

The call was made in a letter sent on 19 January to all members of the CoR and of the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.

The CoR was responding to a request by the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC), which underlines the critical state of Ukraine’s energy sector due to the ongoing Russian large-scale strikes on energy facilities, which have left many communities without heating, electricity or water amid freezing temperatures in one of the harshest winters in years. On 16 January, President Volodymyr Zelensky declared a state of emergency in the country’s energy sector.

The AUC wrote that the Russian attacks are threatening "the livelihoods of millions of civilians" and "basic human rights to heat, water and light". It said it is "focusing all its efforts on helping municipalities maintain critical infrastructure and ensure the stable operation of hospitals, schools and utility companies in every municipality".

The AUC identified specific equipment that is urgently need: 

• generators (10 kW – 700 kW) for social facilities and critical infrastructure; 

• cogeneration plants (500 – 1000 kW) for local heat and electricity production; 

• energy storage systems for stabilising power supply; 

• other energy equipment, including transformers, mobile boiler rooms, and solar panels. 

 European cities, regions and other entities can contribute with their donations in three ways: 

1. Direct municipal partnerships: municipalities already twinned with Ukrainian counterparts may coordinate their delivery of equipment directly; 

2. Via the Association of Ukrainian Cities: donation proposals can be sent to help@auc.org.ua (cc: auc.communities@gmail.com and SupportUkraine@cor.europa.eu ), which will verify needs and identify priority locations; 

3. Through national procedures or EU coordination channels: public entities may use their national mechanisms available in your country, while private entities can coordinate donations via the EU Emergency Response Coordination Centre or ECHO‑Donations@ec.europa.eu to ensure safe delivery. 

As well as underscoring emergency needs, the letter emphasises the long-term value of city-to-city partnerships, stating that such engagement is both one of the most effective ways to ensure that assistance reaches those most in need, and a means of reinforcing democratic resilience at the local level. 

More information:  

• Letter from the Association of Ukrainian Cities.

• Letter from the European Committee of Regions to its members and members of the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.

• European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine: webpage. 

• European Committee of Regions and its solidarity with Ukraine: webpage.