In its increasingly desperate attempts to force Ukraine to surrender territory at the negotiating table, Russia has been looking to destroy Ukraine’s power generation capacity in the run-up to winter, where temperatures regularly fall to as low as -20º Celsius. To this end, the Kremlin has been deploying high-yield cruise missiles and Iranian-made drones to strike at Ukrainian infrastructure, particularly its power stations, to intimidate the capital Kyiv into surrendering. East to west, no city in Ukraine has been spared the assault, and over a fifth of the country’s power generation capacity has already been lost. As the first snow fell over the country this weekend, over 10 million Ukrainians were without power. Vladimir Putin’s objective is clear for the world to see: to wear down the civilian population’s resilience and force President Zelensky to sue for peace. We cannot let this happen.

A Ukrainian winter is long and harsh. Without power, water and communication, it will be a death sentence for many. Many Ukrainians who have sought refuge in the UK have been raising money to send generators back to their family and loved ones. One of the generator manufacturers we have spoken to reported that approximately 75% of their recent orders have been of this nature. Given their families have to endure continuous blackouts, freezing temperatures, and lack of water, small, portable generators are what they most urgently need to survive the winter.

We now have a particular request. We are raising funds to buy much-needed generators for Ukraine before winter bites hard. We have vans ready to go to ship generators we intend to buy with your money from the beginning of December. In addition, we have colleagues in Ukraine and Poland who can ensure that those most urgently in need receive them first.

We have set an initial target of thirty 2.8KVA diesel generators, which can easily be moved to other locations in case of shelling. These types of generators can produce enough energy to run something about the size of a caravan. Not much for us, but life-saving for our friends in Ukraine. We can acquire a 2.8KVA generator for about £300 (depending on whether it is copper or aluminium wired). Given the temperature, copper is preferred. When stock comes through, we will be trying to acquire some larger generators for more stable locations in the region of £1000.

Nine months ago, we established UkraineDorset.org to help Ukrainian families find refuge in the UK. All of you have been incredibly generous in opening your homes to Ukrainian families, alongside many other offers of help with language, transport, mentoring and friendship. We now need your support for this specific issue. Your donations will save lives this winter.