On April 16, 2026, Ukraine experienced one of the deadliest attacks of the year.
The massive country-wide attack was launched using different types of missiles and drones. There were more than 100 people wounded and 17 casualties, including children. The aftermath left a level of destruction in Kyiv and other cities, with civilian infrastructure as well as apartment complexes, doors and windows destroyed.
My grandmother is 85 years old, she lives in an apartment on the fifth floor, in Podilskyi district in Kyiv. The attack happened in the middle of the night. All windows were blown out. According to the news it was a ballistic missile attack.
Through the Ukraine Response Consortium, Acted implements a rapid response providing cash assistance. This assistance modality allows for cash transfers within days after registration, helping affected populations take the first steps toward recovery.
It aims to help affected households to cover their urgent and uncovered needs, caused by aerial attacks and evacuations.
Acted deploys rapid mechanism to support Ukrainians after missile attacks
Acted’s Cash team conducted in-person registration of Ukrainians affected by the attacks in Kyiv. This included people whose homes were significantly damaged or destroyed, as well as those who suffered physical injuries or lost civilian family members. The shelling in Podilskyi district heavily damaged more than 15 multistory and private buildings leaving multiple people injured and others killed.
In total, during April and May Acted provided rapid cash assistance to 421 households supporting a total of 1,004 people under this project.
Acted’s in person registration in Podilskyi district, Kyiv
Katya* was one of the participants in Acted’s in-person registrations to apply for cash assistance for her grandmother. Katya is a 40-year-old psychologist with an 11-year-old son. With her husband, they decided to take their son to the mountains in the Lviv region for him to be in a more peaceful environment. Though they travel frequently between Kyiv and Lviv regions, having to adjust their lives to the pattern of the attacks.
Katya’s grandmother has difficulty walking and could not present herself to the cash registrations organized by Acted.
To facilitate the registration of elderly people, people living with disabilities and people with mobility problems,; one member of the family can come to register the person affected by the attacks and provide all the necessary documents for registration. This allows rapid response mechanisms to reach the most affected, even if they cannot come by themselves.
Katya shares the story of her grandmother to Acted staff
Acted and the Ukraine Response Consortium support elderly people affected by attacks in Kyiv
“My grandmother was born in 1941, during World War II, and has five siblings. She finished her studies and started working as a kindergarten teacher. She loved working with kids and worked until she was 79 years old. She wanted to keep working but covid hit and the school decided it was not safe for her. It was hard for my grandmother, she used to be full of energy, very passionate and she didn’t want to stop working and be at home. She was alone when the attacks happened.
According to the news it was a ballistic missile attack. She didn’t have time to go to the shelter but thankfully she was not in the room where the windows blew out, she managed to go to the corridor. My grandmother has lived in this apartment all her life. My mother lives nearby too but thankfully she was not affected by this attack”.
Katya shows Acted staff the pictures of her grandmother’s appartment’s damaged windows and exterior
Katya shared with Acted teams how she feels about the current situation in Kyiv and Ukraine as a whole. “It’s been more than 4 years now, since the full-scale invasion began. As a person, you need to align with the context, and surrounding environment as a survival mechanism. For us Ukrainians this means that we see destruction every day, we hear attacks during the nights, but we just think this is our reality now and we tend to normalize it. Unfortunately, for a lot of people this war has divided families. For mine it has been a catalyst to strengthen our bonds, to understand and strengthen our values: love, unity and family above all”.
Katya registers her grandmother for cash assistance
Cash assistance is widely regarded as the most cost-effective humanitarian response modality in Ukraine, where markets continue to function. Beyond its practical advantages, it upholds the dignity and autonomy of those it supports, giving people the flexibility to provide for their own priorities and needs.
Through the months of April 2025 and May 2026, Acted provided cash assistance to a total of 111,100 crisis-affected people in Ukraine. The Ukraine Response Consortium, with the support of the U.S Government, provides multisectoral support to people in frontline areas and areas affected by the conflict. In this consortium Acted partners with World Vision, Estonian Refugee Council, Right to Protection, Care and IMPACT Initiatives each contributing its unique expertise to deliver a comprehensive set of activities and a tailored response to the diverse needs of the war-affected population. These activities include repairing war-damaged homes, public institutions, and essential public infrastructure; providing emergency kits and water to meet basic needs; and delivering protection services, including legal and mental health support.
* To respect the privacy of the people supported by Acted, the names in this article have been changed.
* This article product is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Government. The contents are the resposibility of Acted and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Government.
