about us

our story

UFU came into existence on the first day of the Russian invasion.

Lawyers, digital creatives and tech professionals united to promptly help people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Two days later the platform was launched providing housing and legal advice, supported by 150 volunteers, 500 lawyers and initial partners for housing.

Our work was quickly supported and amplified by the International Rescue Committee, Google.org, Phineo, Airbnb, Meta and other notable partners. These partnerships allowed us to reach more than 5.5 million people in 2022 and support them with information, free legal and housing advice, psychological help and other valuable services.

To date, UFU International Emergency Relief Platform (ERP) covers 16 areas of critical information in 28 countries. In 2023 our priority is to expand our reach and deliver more value for people inside of Ukraine and our goal extends beyond emergency relief.

Our Recovery Initiative focuses on supporting small businesses (MSMEs) in Ukraine to promote inclusive, sustainable economic growth and facilitate the country's recovery. We aim to drive sustainable economic recovery in Ukraine and support its path to EU accession.

our mission

Support through critical information. Strengthen through economic empowerment.

our vision

Support through critical information. Strengthen through economic empowerment.

Independent, prosperous, sustainable Ukraine.

our values

Collaboration

We trust in the power of united efforts to achieve the most impact. We value teamwork and cultivate a strong partner network to amplify our contributions.

Empowerment

We empower the people of Ukraine to stay resilient. We empower our partners to provide continuous support.

Inclusivity

We foster environments that provide individual support, regardless of background, identity, or characteristics, ensuring that all individuals feel welcome and valued.

Agility

We are fast in developing actionable solutions to address fast changing needs of people we serve and the environments we are in.

our team

Roman Kozyr

Interim CEO

Olena Romaniuk

Operations Officer

Polina Lehmann

Legal Aid Lead

Kyrylo Vasiutin

Digital Community Liason

our team

Roman Kozyr

Interim CEO

Olena Romaniuk

Operations Officer

Kyrylo Vasiutin

Digital Community Liason

Polina Lehmann

UFU Platform Legal Lead

our team

make an impact

The crisis caused

by Russia's invasion of Ukraine can only be solved one way: together